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I kept hearing rumors this week that Michelle Obama would announce the revised Nutrition Facts panel at today’s summit meeting of the Partnership for a Healthier America, the public-private partnership organization that supports Let’s Move!
And here is the graphic from the White House press release:
Congratulations on the long-awaited changes:
Calories big and bold
Added sugars
Serving sizes updated
“Dual column” labels for “per serving” and “per package”
Daily Value footnote: “The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”
Nutrients: Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium. Voluntary: Vitamins A and C.
Expect to see this on food packages in two years (small food producers get an additional year to comply).
Here are the relevant FDA documents:
Federal Register notice on the food labels (943 pages)
Federal Register notice on serving sizes (170 pages)
Slide show
Commissioner’s statement (“Voice Blog”)
Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
At a Glance Fact Sheet
Web Q&A
Here are the early comments (I will be adding more as they arrive):
Politico Morning Agriculture’s take on the new label from Helena Evich Bottemiller (I’m quoted).
CSPI’s congratulatory statement
Julia Belluz in Vox (I’m quoted)
The Sugar Association’s complaint: “We are concerned that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that is not grounded in science, and could actually deter us from our shared goal of a healthier America.”
The new food label is an extraordinary accomplishment, especially in the light of a political climate in which the food industry and its friends in Congress fight public health nutrition measures tooth and nail.
For background, see some of my posts on food labels since 2008:
Food-Navigator’s review of what’s happening with the label proposals, 2014
The FDA’s last call for comments on the label proposals, 2014
The politics of the FDA’s proposed labels, 2014
CSPI’s petition for Added Sugars, 2013
The FDA’s first call for comments, 2008
