The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule for nutrition labels on packaged food and drinks that’s intended to help Americans make healthier choices at a glance.
Under the new rule, which shoppers could see as early as 2028, food manufacturers will be required to display levels of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar on the front of the packaging.
Packaged foods in the U.S. often come with a number of health and nutrition claims, which can make it confusing for consumers to know what’s good or bad for them, said Lindsey Smith Taillie, a nutrition epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Fruit drinks, for example, may advertise high levels of vitamin C on the front of the bottle, making them seem like a healthy choice, but at the same time, they are loaded with added sugar, Smith Taillie said.
The idea is that by placing certain nutrition information directly in front of consumers, they’ll be more likely to make health-conscious decisions.
The FDA’s proposed front-of-package label will include the amount of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars and whether those amounts are considered “low,” “medium” or “high.”