The Nutrition Facts label that you see on most packaged food could be getting an overhaul in 2016. The FDA issued two proposed rules in 2014, and released a supplemental proposed rule in July of 2015.
What Are the Proposed Changes?
The two proposed rules cover multiple aspects of aesthetic design changes as well as updates based on new research, such as removing the “Calories from fat” line item. We’ll cover a few of the most significant changes here. If you’d like to read the proposals in detail, visit the FDA website.
- Design changes – The new labels would have calories and serving sizes printed in a larger font to draw more attention to their importance. In addition, the Percent Daily Value number would be moved to the left of the nutrient, instead of the current position on the right.
- Serving size – Those 20 oz. bottles of soda will no longer be listed as 2.5 servings. Drinks and other food that people consume in one sitting would be labeled as a single serving, with the appropriate corresponding calorie counts.
- Added sugars – Both the 2014 proposed rule and the 2015 supplemental proposed rule address added sugars. New labels would have to disclose the amount of sugar added in the food, as well as a Percent Daily Value for those added sugars.
The comment period for the supplemental proposed rule will end on October 13, 2015. We’ll keep you posted on what the FDA has to say after that.
This Affects Supplement Labels, Too
Supplement manufacturers take note: some of these proposed changes would apply to supplement labels as well as food labels. This includes the changes to the Percent Daily Values, the removal of the “Calories from fat” item, and the amount of added sugars.
Small Business Nutrition Labeling Exemption
If you’re a food manufacturer, you know there are plenty of things to consider when you begin creating labels for your products. If you are a very small retailer with small production volumes and few employees, make sure you are aware of the Small Business Nutrition Labeling Exemption. Depending on the size of your company and your annual gross sales, you may or may not need to file an exemption with the FDA. If you sell fewer than 100,000 units of product or have annual gross sales of less than $50,000, please read the FDA’s exemption requirements here.
If you need assistance in updating your nutrition label, Alpine’s label engineers are always up to date on the latest FDA requirements and ready to help you craft your perfect label.
Image source: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/UCM387451.pdf
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