FDA Seeks New Food Package Labeling

The agency would require food makers to put nutritional data front and center.

April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will draft new rules about where food companies have to place nutritional data, CNSNews reports.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the information would be displayed on the front of a package.

"Busy shoppers will be able to go into grocery stores and have some easy to understand information on the front of packages giving them quick data on what is a healthier choice," said Sebelius. "The Food and Drug Administration right now is working with food manufacturers to not only update the nutritional labeling on the back of packages, which right now is written in small bar codes and pretty indecipherable and hasn??t been updated in 20 years, but to move to a front-of-package labeling strategy."

But industry groups and food manufacturers are opposed to the agency mandating such a change.

"If it is done, we would prefer to have it be voluntary as opposed to being mandatory, and we want to make sure that it??s consistent," said James McCarthy, president and CEO of the Snack Food Association.

"There are huge cost implications, for changing your packaging is very costly," said McCarthy. "Many of our companies are smaller, medium-sized companies that would find it very burdensome to have to change all of their packaging."

Currently, food manufacturers can place the nutrition facts anywhere on the package??s panels as long as a consumer can see it. The HHS is asking that self-labeling by foodmakers cease and an "evidence-based approach" replace it. Sebelius says a national food label is being drafted.

The FDA requires nutritional information on nearly all prepared foods.

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