Today, March 1, 2018, FDA issued a statement regarding the revamped nutrition label requirements. In this modern age, where fitness and nutrition have become a larger focus in many peoples lives (see the cult-like phenomena: CrossFit, Soul Cycle, Whole 30, Clean Eating, Paleo, Keto, etc.), there has been push for more information about what exactly we are eating.
Well, all you nutrition-focused folks can rejoice because FDA is now requiring some more specific data on nutrition labels:
- Delineate between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars
- Provide content data for an updated list of nutrients (including Vitamin D and potassium)
- Update daily values for nutrients in light of “newer scientific evidence”
And, perhaps the most exciting(?) change:
Update serving sizes to reflect the servings people actually consume (think: ice cream – who is eating only a 1/2 cup??)
The compliance deadline is January 1, 2020 (For manufacturers with $10 million+ in annual food sales) and January 1, 2021 (For manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales).
So whether or not you wanted to know that a serving size for flaming hot cheese puffs is actually 13 pieces (1 oz), so when you eat the whole bag (as one does) you are consuming about 825 calories . . . well, now you’ll know!
Here is an infographic provided by FDA outlining the changes: Nutrition Facts Label – What’s Different
To read the press release click here.