Recently, the office of Nutrition and Food Labeling of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, coming under the authority of the US FDA, updated info about nutrition labeling in packaged food items.
The new Nutrition Facts Label has been introduced in the market and the most highlighted feature of this new label is the dual column present for specific food items. These food items are most usually consumable in one serving as either a meal or a snack.
The nutrition label combines two columns for these foods: one that lists all the nutrition facts concerning to one serving. The other column enlists the nutritional facts for the entire packaged content of the item to be sold.
The new guidance issued by the Food and Drug Authority is coming with the aim to assist the consumers in answering some of the concerns by the industry relevant to the dual column label, and other issues related to the serving.
The guidance also tells about the container measurement of a single serving and the methodology of determining the servings containing in a food item. Moreover, these guidelines are providing information on the formatting of the food items having confined area for the whole nutrition labeling.
The new labeling facts come with an updated size of serving for a variety of food items that are manufactured for the consumers. This is designed keeping under consideration that the dietary habits of the US citizens have drastically changed, that is why the total calories and the nutrients coming from them on the label are reflected in a manner that best goes in accordance with the dietary habits and lifestyles of the US citizens.
Therefore, it is not a surreal bar of the recommendation of what and how to consume the products anymore that was seen before. The dual-column labeling, as well as the new label with a percentage value, are an indication of the regular dietary intake and the habits of the Americans, not the recommended number of calories and nutrients that should be consumed, as it is rather impractical and afar from reality.
The updated regulations of the Nutrition Fact Labeling will be held in compliance by January 1, 2020, for different manufacturers accommodating about 10 million USD plus annual sales o food. Whereas, those having lesser sales than the stated amount would get to have the whole year to comply with the rules.
Moreover, the FDA has announced it will show cooperation with the manufacturers till June 2020 in the whole process of compliance to the label requirements without stressing on enforcing the actions.
The FDA is an agency with the responsibility to secure and make important measures for public health through making sure about the efficacy, safety, and the security of different medicines, vaccination products for humans as well as animals, and biological products including health and medicinal devices and equipment.
Moreover, the agency is also in demand to ensure the food security and food safety of different food supply chains. The same goes for the cosmetic industry, dietary supplementation products, radiation producing products, and also tobacco products.
