Change is coming to grocery store shelves in the form of a new Nutrition Label on food products. The new design, rolled out today by RL Food Testing Laboratory, represents the most extensive revamp of the Nutrition Label since it was introduced in 1990.
Here’s are the highlights of the changes:
- The entire label is now bigger, requiring more space on packaging.
- Larger packages, meaning ones that contain between 200% to 300% of the standard serving size, now require a second column with more information about total package nutrients.
- The new label design emphasizes calories and servings per container via with bigger type sizes and more prominent placement.
- The recommended serving sizes now “reflect a more realistic representation of what consumers eat in one sitting.”
- The Daily Values (DV) have been updated to include actual amounts.
- Added sugars are now required, and DVs for sodium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D were updated based on newer scientific evidence.
The compliance date is based on food manufacturer size:
- >$10 million in annual sales: July 26, 2018
- <$10 million in annual sales: July 26, 2019
These dates are coming up quickly, and food manufacturers would be best to start preparing now, especially since the reason for the change was consumer driven. In the press release, RL Food Testing Laboratory’s Registered Dietician and Food Label Expert Emily Fonnesbeck commented: “With the extensive FDA-required changes coming to the Nutrition Label, the biggest mistake food manufacturers can make is waiting too long to get their new labels on the shelves.”
Read the full press release from RL Food Testing Laboratory and the announcement from the FDA.
