FDA to add nutrition label requirements

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering adding a percent daily value for added sugars to the Nutrition Facts Label on packaged foods.

The percent daily value, or %DV, indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. The FDA said the added information would help consumers make more informed choices about the food they eat and feed to their families. 

The proposal announced Friday is meant to supplement a rule the agency proposed in March that would force food companies to include added sugars to Nutrition Facts Labels. The proposal at the time did not direct companies to include a percent daily value for added sugar. 

In its rulemaking, the FDA said it’s basing the percent daily value on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommendation that Americans should limit their added sugar intake to less than 10 percent of total daily calories.

The federally appointed panel of nutritionists produced a report in April that will be used to help the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture update the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines, issued every five years, are due out in fall.

In the report, the committee said it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie requirements if more than 10 percent of total daily calories are from added sugars.

“The FDA has a responsibility to give consumers the information they need to make informed dietary decisions for themselves and their families,” Susan T. Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a news release. “For the past decade, consumers have been advised to reduce their intake of added sugars, and the proposed percent daily value for added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label is intended to help consumers follow that advice.”

Nutrition Facts Labels now list the percent daily value for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, calcium and iron.

In addition to a percentage for added sugars, FDA is considering shortening the current footnote to make more space on the label. The footnote would say, “The percent daily value (%DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

The public has 75 days to comment on the proposed rule.

In a statement, The Sugar Association said FDA is making assertions about added sugars that lack adequate scientific evidence.

The fact is that the preponderance of science and the data on caloric sweeteners do not support a suggested limit on sugars intake.  The Sugar Association plans to submit comprehensive comments that will oppose this proposal and examine the level of scientific evidence at the basis of the misguided recommendation.

This story was updated at 3:52 p.m. to include a statement from The Sugar Association.