Washington, D.C. (WDNews)- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a major change in food labeling, requiring packaged food to display nutrition information on the front.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving Americans time to weigh in on the change in food labeling until July 15, 2025.
The proposed label, called the Nutrition Info box, would clearly mark whether a food item is “Low,” “Med,” or “High” in saturated fat, sodium and added sugars These nutrients are commonly linked to serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The FDA says those conditions are becoming increasingly preventable through better diet awareness.
The move aims to help shoppers make quicker and healthier choices without needing to study the full Nutrition Facts label on the back of packages. While calorie counts aren’t required in the new box, companies may include them voluntarily.
The FDA says its proposal is based on years of research, including focus groups and a 2023 study of nearly 10,000 adults. That research showed that simple, interpretive labels helped people identify healthier products faster and more accurately.
According to the FDA’s supporting literature review, front-of-package labels:
- Catch consumer attention more effectively than traditional back labels.
- Make nutrition info easier to understand, especially for low-income and younger shoppers.
- Can even lead to product reformulation, with companies reducing sugar, salt, or fat to meet healthier standards.
The concept isn’t new globally. Countries around the world already use similar systems like Nutri-Score and traffic light labels.
The FDA believes a national standard in the U.S. could be as impactful as the original Nutrition Facts label introduced decades ago.
Those wishing to comment on the rule can do so at Regulations.gov, using docket number FDA-2024-N-2910.
