Accurate front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) helps both consumers and food companies by ensuring consumers have access to relevant nutritional information when selecting products in-store.
However, limited nutritional information in front-of-pack labeling systems can lead consumers to miss out on important information that can help them make healthier food choices.
Commenting on the study, Roberta Wagner, IDFA’s senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, said, “These results make it clear that providing additional information such as calories and nutrients as part of the front-of-pack nutrition label, in addition to saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, can help consumers correctly identify the healthiest labels. We want consumers to trust that FOPNL information accurately reflects a product’s overall nutritional value and density. This study highlights the value consumers place on comprehensive nutrition information, and their lack of trust in labels that omit part of the big picture.”
“As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes a mandatory and standardized FOPNL system for packaged foods, it is important that consumers are provided with balanced and broader nutrition information to ensure nutritious dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese are fully characterized to reflect calcium, protein, vitamin D, potassium and other nutrients.”
“IDFA is encouraged by the results released today by IFIC and hopes that these findings will be incorporated by the FDA into its nutrition-related policymaking. Mandating a FOPNL scheme that focuses solely on added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium could have the unintended consequence of reducing consumer trust and consumption of nutrient-dense products recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, such as dairy products.”
