The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved an overhaul on food nutrition labels. Among the changes is a requirement to include the amount of added sugar in products.
Dr. Tory Rogers of Let’s Go, a childhood obesity prevention program, says that information will be a huge help for consumers.
“The added sugar is one of the biggest issues people have right now when consuming food, and that has a lot of negative health consequences,” she says.
The nutrition labels will also adjust serving sizes to reflect the amount people actually consume and highlight the amount of calories in a product through larger and bolder type.
“For kids and parents to make decision on the foods they want to eat, anything that makes it easier for them to see what they’re going to be eating is great,” Rogers says.
Courtney Kennedy, nutrition and education manager for Good Shepherd Food Bank, says the changes are good, but consumers also need more education on how to read the labels.
“When we take people on grocery store tours, one of the things we talk about is the nutrition label, and often we find that people don’t understand them or have a clear idea of what they’re reading,” she says.
The changes must be implemented within two years.
