FDA Approves Controversial Changes to Nutrition Facts Panel--Update
May 20 2016 - 10:22AM
Dow Jones News
By Annie Gasparro and Mike Esterl
U.S. food regulators approved the most radical overhaul of
nutrition policy in decades, putting sugar squarely in its
crosshairs in an attempt to change how Americans eat and drink.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said 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
and what percentage of the recommended daily maximum that
represents.
The FDA's decision 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 to food and beverage makers, especially
those in 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 10:07 ET (14:07 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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