Nutrition in the News: New Food Labels On Store Shelves



New Food Labels Now Appearing on Food Packages:  new food labels were proposed by the Food and Drug Administration with an implementation date of July 2018.  While this date has been postponed to allow manufacturers more time to comply, many manufacturers are already changing their food labels.  Look at the packages of food you eat for these new labels.  Some companies are early adopters including Nabisco, PepsiCo, and KIND.  So, you will see the new food labels on Wheat Thins, KIND bars, Lay’s Chips, Fritos and Cheetos. 

What are some of the things to look for on these new food labels?

Added Sugars –One of the most important changes is the addition of “added sugar” to the label.  Food labels already include “sugars” but this is of little value as the label didn’t tell you if the “sugars” were added or naturally present in the food.  For example, milk naturally has the sugar, lactose, in it.  So, “sugars” are listed on the milk carton of plain white milk, yet no sugar has been added.  It is the “added sugar” in our diets that we need to be concerned about.

Jiffy Corn Muffins – this week I was making some Jiffy Corn Muffins and the entire back of the package was the new food label.  The food label clearly listed “added sugars”.  The total “sugars” were 8 grams and the “added sugars” were 7 grams.  One could think this is a high sugar product but 7 grams of sugar is only 28 calories.  In a 180-calorie muffin, 28 calories is not a high “added sugar” food.  I was impressed that a small company like Jiffy is an early adopter of the new food label.
 
Jiffy Corn Muffin
Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium – these are nutrients of concern in the American diet.  So many people are low in “D” and are not getting enough Calcium, Iron or Potassium in their diets.  One of the changes on the new food label is the “AMOUNT” of these nutrients needs to be on the label and not just the confusing, % Daily Value.   For those trying to add more nutrients like calcium to their diet, they will now be able to clearly see if a food contains a lot or little calcium and how many milligrams (mg) of calcium the food provides.

This week, check out the label on the Lay’s Chips, Wheat Thins or that KIND bar and look for the new Food Label.  I checked out the food label on the Sun Chips we have and it sports the new Food Label as it is a Lay’s chip.  And Sun Chips are a whole grain chip so a good choice for a snack or with your lunch.  



Sources:  Food and Drug Administration, early adopters, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium  Image Sources:  Sun Chips, Jiffy

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