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Nutrition labels on your favorite foods could soon be getting a new look.
The Food and Drug Administration announced a new proposal Tuesday that would require food and beverage manufacturers to place nutrition labels on the front of their products instead of the back.
The labels also include new information about the saturated fat, sodium and added sugar content in the product, categorizing these as “low,” “medium,” or “high.”
It’s about making it easier for people to choose healthier options at the grocery store, FDA officials said.
The values are based on the percent daily value, which indicates how much a nutrient in one serving contributes to the total recommended daily diet, according to the National Institutes of Health. A “low” claim means the food or drink contains 5% or less of the recommended daily intake. A “high” figure is 20% or more and “medium” is anything in between.
“It’s time we make it easier for consumers to take a look, grab and go,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. “We are committed to using every lever available to the FDA to make nutrition information easily accessible as part of our efforts to promote public health.”
The proposal is the agency’s latest response to rising rates of diet-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes.
Last month, the agency issued new labeling criteria to tell consumers which foods are considered “healthy.” To qualify for such a label, foods must contain limited amounts of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars and include foods from key nutritional groups such as fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy.
Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, said the FDA’s proposal for front-facing nutrition labeling is “an important step in making nutritional information clearer and more accessible.”
“For decades, the nutrition label has been an essential tool for educating people across the country about the nutritional content of their food and beverages, but high rates of diet-related illnesses continue to demonstrate the need for additional measures to address the confusion” barriers consumers face of evaluating and identifying better options,” she said in a statement.
If the proposed rule is finalized, manufacturers will be required to display the updated nutrition labeling on their packaged foods within three years of the rule’s effective date for companies with annual food sales of $10 million or more and within four years for companies with less than $10 million.
In a briefing Tuesday, FDA officials told reporters that the new labels could prompt manufacturers to reformulate their products to meet a higher health standard.
The American Beverage Association said it looks forward to working with the FDA and the incoming Trump administration to “provide consumers with nutritional information,” spokesman William Dermody Jr. said in a statement sent to USA TODAY.
“Consumers deserve clear and accurate information about their food and beverages so they can make the choices that are right for them,” Dermody said.
The Food and Beverage Association of America did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on the label change.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
