by It may soon become harder to ignore the nutritional warning signs of your favorite junk food.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration unveiled a long-awaited proposal that would require food and beverage manufacturers to display nutrition labels on the front of most of their packages, with the goal of helping shoppers make healthier choices as they navigate the Strolling the grocery store aisles.
“It’s time we make it easier for consumers to take a look, grab and go,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement. “Putting nutrition labels on the front of most packaged foods would do this.”
Under the proposal, labels on the front of the package would indicate how much of the recommended daily allowance of these three nutrients is contained in a serving and whether the food is “low,” “medium,” or “high” for each.
The labels would be in the shape of a black-and-white box — a design chosen after a 2023 FDA study found that it helped people make quicker, more accurate decisions about a food’s health compared to other label styles to meet.
The front label would not replace, but rather supplement, the existing, more detailed nutritional information on the back of packages, the FDA said.
It is up to the new Trump administration whether it finalizes the proposal.
Peter G. Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, welcomed the move, calling it “long overdue.” He said it could lead to healthier consumer choices, prompt companies to make healthier products and help combat the growing tide of preventable diseases in the United States.
The reception from the food and beverage industry was cooler.
“The FDA’s proposed front-of-package nutrition labeling rule appears to be based on opaque methodology and disregard for industry input and collaboration,” said Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy at the Consumer Brands Association, which represents major manufacturers represents packaged goods.
The proposed labels are part of a larger, government-wide initiative to curb diet-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer – the leading causes of death in the U.S. and major drivers of health care spending.
Accumulating evidence shows that a major cause of the increase in these diseases is excessive consumption of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars.
President-elect Donald Trump has made fighting chronic diseases a top health priority, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has chosen to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has long opposed the use of preservatives and chemicals in US food calls for a nationwide crackdown.
If the rule is final, manufacturers with annual food sales of $10 million or more would have three years to comply, while smaller companies would have four years to comply.
But will these labels actually change Americans’ eating habits? The jury is still out.
When Congress passed a law in 2010 requiring chain restaurants to publish calorie counts, the results were mixed. A 2016 review of 38 studies found that overall, the study had little impact on consumer behavior. The researchers concluded that it was not an effective tool for promoting healthier food choices.
Even if the labels don’t change how people shop or eat, there’s evidence that they could push the food industry to make some changes.
Take Chile, for example: When the country passed a law requiring manufacturers to place warning labels on foods high in sodium, sugar, unhealthy fat or calories, the results were startling.
According to a 2020 study, the proportion of sugary foods fell from 80% to 60% and the proportion of sodium-rich foods fell from 74% to 27% in just one year.
