
Sweeping new changes proposed by the FDA will mean that nutrition labels are going to have to be more honest with you about sugar.
The nutrition labels you see on packaging ranging from cereal to frozen pizzas to bags of candy may be about to get a major overhaul.
The Food and Drug Administration plans to review a controversial proposal that would change nutrition labels to include the amounts of added sugar and feature a note on the recommended consumption level — something that food and beverage companies are hopping mad about, according to a UPI report.
Under the proposed change, the well-known “Nutrition Facts” label would include a recommended intake of added sugar of 10 percent of a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet — so, only about 200 calories should come from added sugar, which would amount of just 13 teaspoons, according to the report. Just one can of Coca-Cola has 10 teaspoons, to give you an idea of just how little that is — or how much, if you ask the FDA.
An FDA official defended the review, saying it is the agency’s job to make sure consumers have the information they need to make the correct dietary choices both for them and their families, and the medical community in recent years has recommended that Americans tone down their intake of added sugars.
However, packaged food and beverage companies are not happy with this, not surprisingly. They argue that such totals are misleading because the body reacts in the same way to natural sugar, such as fruit, and such a baseless change could have a big impact on their bottom lines.
A spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers Association said in the report that the trade group would study this change, but suggested that the FDA may not be on solid footing when it comes to evidence for the FDA’s recommended sugar intake levels.
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