FDA plans huge changes to nutrition labels to better reflect our eating habits

For the first time in 20 years, government health officials are proposing a major revamp to nutrition labels. NBC News reports that the move is essentially a plan to "bow to the reality" that Americans aren't following the recommended serving sizes. The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement that an update is in order because labels must be based on what people are actually eating, not what they should be eating.

Under the new proposal, manufacturers will have to provide "per serving" and "per package" columns of nutrition information on certain foods, like a pint of ice cream. The size of the calorie count will also increase to a "really big font." These changes mark a shift away from total fat counts in order to focus on overall calories, so we can better track what's making us fat.

There's no timetable on the sweeping changes, which are expected to cost the food industry $2 billion. --Jordan Valinsky

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up