With in the U.S. and increasing attention being paid to , it’s clear that far more could be done to help consumers make healthy food choices.
Author
Kimberly Baker
Food Systems and Safety Program Team Director, Clemson University
A bill known as the has been sitting before Congress since late 2023. If passed, it would require U.S. food manufacturers to add a second nutrition label to the front of product packages, in addition to the ones currently found on the back or side panel. It would also require the label to highlight any potentially unhealthy ingredients in the product, such as the amount of sugar, sodium and saturated fat it contains.
The proposed legislation would provide consumers with a standardized, easy-to-read and quick way to . Should the bill, which is still in committee, become law, the front-of-package label would be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The current nutrition facts label, typically featuring more detailed nutritional information and found on a product’s side panel, would remain unchanged.
who works with farmers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and the government to help bring healthy food to shoppers, I believe that consistent front-of-package labeling would greatly benefit consumers by offering a straightforward way to compare multiple products, helping them make more informed choices.
Even if passed, it will take time for the FDA to interpret the law and standardize the design and format. And it might be years before all food manufacturers are required to use the new label. In the meantime, more than 175 million Americans , and with each passing day, .
Why the change?
The newly proposed legislation is the latest effort by lawmakers to educate the public about smart food choices. Congress began requiring through the .
But in the 34 years since that first label appeared, the obesity rate has more than tripled; . Another 31% are overweight, and diet-related chronic illnesses, including are rampant. About 60% of U.S. adults – 130 million people – have .
All of these diseases are associated with – three key ingredients the front label will focus on.
Labels help shoppers make better choices
There’s another reason to require a second, . Only about 40% of Americans ; some shoppers say they don’t understand it. A simpler label with a more direct message might help those consumers. In fact, some studies suggest front-of-package labels .
Research shows that those who frequently read the current label tend to have healthier diets than those who don’t. For example, frequent readers are almost four times more likely than rare readers .
Now the bad news: Even the frequent readers met their fiber goals only about 13% of the time. That isn’t good, but it’s an improvement over the rare readers, who meet their goals a paltry 3.7% of the time.
For the record, the daily recommendation for fiber is under 50; its slightly less for those over 50.
Some foods still exempt
It’s possible you’ve already seen some front-of-package nutritional labels on food products. But these labels are not regulated by the government. Known as the “facts-up-front” labeling system, it’s strictly voluntary and a choice of the individual food manufacturer, with provided by the , a trade association representing the food industry. Only a small number of manufacturers have chosen to put these labels on their products.
That said, more research is needed to know how long-term behavior may change due to front-of-package labeling. But at least one food safety advocacy organization, while supportive of front-of-package labels, says the trade association’s facts-up-front system .
Even if the TRUTH in Labeling Act passes as currently written, some foods could remain exempt from the nutritional label requirement, including fish, coffee, tea and spices.
There is one caveat, however. If any product makes a nutritional or health claim on its package – including those that are normally exempt – then a nutrition facts label must be on it.
