Grocery shopping is like navigating a maze. Every aisle is full of options, food packaging is covered in advertising claims, and little guidance on what is truly healthy and what is not. People want to make healthy choices for themselves and their families, but what can they do when there’s so much information available?
For many years, the nutrition facts label on the back of food packages has provided important nutritional information such as amounts of calories, fat, sodium, sugar, protein, vitamins, and minerals. But all the numbers can be confusing and not easy to see. Given the high incidence of diet-related illnesses in the United States, more needs to be done to ensure consumers have the information they need to make healthy choices. Supporters argue that there is.
That’s why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which sets standards for nutrition labeling, requires the front of food and beverage products to provide clear and concise information so people can quickly and easily identify healthier foods. We are developing a new display system that will be displayed. . Research from other countries has shown that front-of-pack labels help consumers buy healthier products and, in turn, help manufacturers make healthier products. I am.
What will the front of the package label look like? More than 40 countries already require it. Some countries use traffic light colors, such as red, yellow, and green, or a report card-like rating system (A, B, C, D, E) to indicate the health status of a product. . Other countries use warning systems that indicate whether a product has large amounts of added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium. Such an approach makes it easy for consumers to understand at a glance what is healthy and what is not.
The success of front-of-pack labeling in other countries is encouraging people in the United States to make healthier choices that can improve well-being and reduce high rates of diet-related diseases, such as some heart disease and cancer. suggests that it is helpful. In fact, the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) recommended such a system more than a decade before he did, and national polls show that most Americans support it. Masu.
The FDA plans to release a proposal for a front-of-pack food labeling system in the United States that could help everyone navigate the food shopping maze. To stay informed and learn more, visit yourethecure.org/FOP.
“Clear and concise front-of-pack nutrition labeling is the answer. After all, you shouldn’t need a nutrition degree to shop for groceries,” says Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.
