Shannon Center Weekly Nutrition Tip – FDA Changes Nutrition Labels

Date:06/02/2016

You may have heard by now that the FDA has approved and released the new food labels. (Companies are to be in compliance by July 2018 so you will start to see the new ones soon).

Serving size and calories. Notice they are much larger? The new info is supposed to be easier to tell how many exact calories are in the package and what the typical serving size is. (The label now show what the serving size SHOULD be. The new label has more realistic and up to date serving sizes.) Love that the total calories stand out so it is easier to understand.
Added sugars… YES!!!!!! Now hopefully I won't have to defend fruit and yogurt because "they are SO HIGH in sugar!" The new label will you tell how much sugar the product naturally has and how much is added. This is my favorite change!
While continuing to require "Total Fat," "Saturated Fat," and "Trans Fat" on the label, "Calories from Fat" is being removed because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount. (Hello avocado and nuts!).
Last but not least, the four requirements vitamins and minerals on the label, (vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium) now have to also show the actual value not just the percentage. (Example, 400 mg calcium not 31%). Not everyone has a diet that is scaled to 2,000 kcals so knowing the exact info can be very helpful for some people, especially if they are wanting to focus on a specific nutrient.

Label reading is one of the only ways (and ingredients in a package) you can tell if a product is healthy for you or not. Confused by something on the label? Ask me!

Kelly Devine Rickert MS RD CSSD LDN