FDA unveils proposed front-of-package nutrition label

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a proposed front-of-package (FOP) nutrition label to provide consumers with readily visible information about a product’s saturated fat, sodium and added sugars content.

Those three nutrients are directly linked with chronic diseases when consumed in excess, according to a statement on the FDA’s website. The Nutrition Info box would complement the Nutrition Facts label required on most food packages and rank percentages of the nutrients as “Low,” “Med” or “High.”

Chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are the leading cause of disability and death in the U.S., according to the FDA. With 60% of Americans having at least one chronic disease, such diseases are also the leading drivers of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care costs.

If finalized, the rule would require food manufacturers to add a Nutrition Info box to most packaged food products three years after the final rule’s effective date for businesses with $10 million or more in annual food sales and four years after the final rule’s effective date for businesses with less than $10 million in annual food sales.

“The science on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars is clear,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in the statement. “Nearly everyone knows or cares for someone with a chronic disease that is due, in part, to the food we eat. It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that.

“We are fully committed to pulling all the levers available to the FDA to make nutrition information readily accessible as part of our efforts to promote public health.”

In 2023, the FDA conducted a study of nearly 10,000 U.S. adults to explore consumer responses to three different types of FOP labels to identify which label enabled participants to make quicker and more accurate assessments. The study showed that the black and white Nutrition Info scheme with the percent daily value performed best.

The proposed Nutrition Info box is part of the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health to reduce diet-related diseases by 2030.

Comments can be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov by May 16.