FDA Approves Controversial Changes to Nutrition Facts Panel
May 20 2016 - 9:46AM
Dow Jones News
By Annie Gasparro and Mike Esterl
U.S. food regulators said they approved the most radical
overhaul of nutrition policy in decades, putting sugar squarely in
its crosshairs.
Potentially changing how Americans eat and drink, a new
nutrition facts panel that appears on the back of all packaged food
and beverages will list how many grams of sugar have been added by
manufacturers.
The decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to break
out added sugar from the total sugar count already on packaging
culminates a yearslong push by the Obama administration into stiff
opposition from food and beverage companies, which say there is no
difference between naturally present sugars and added sugars.
Health officials say added sugars have no nutritional value and
increase overall caloric intake, helping fuel obesity and diabetes
while steering Americans away from nutrient-rich foods. Until now,
nutrition panels have flagged recommended maximums for fats,
sodium, cholesterol and carbohydrates but not for sugar.
The new rules aimed at cracking down on the country's sweet
tooth could cause label shock for many consumers, and it is
expected to deal a big blow especially to the soft drink industry.
A 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, for instance, contains about 130%
of the daily recommended maximum for added sugar.
First lady Michelle Obama will announce the changes in an annual
nutrition summit in Washington.
Write to Annie Gasparro at annie.gasparro@wsj.com and Mike
Esterl at mike.esterl@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 20, 2016 09:31 ET (13:31 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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