FDA Updates Nutrition Facts Label: What You Need to Know

More than two years ago, Michelle Obama announced that the nutrition facts label on the side of packaged foods was finally going to get an update, for the first time since it was developed in 1993.

"How many of you have, at some point in your life, made a statement that you were going to eat better?" she said at the time. "You resolved to read those labels and only buy foods that you believed would be good for you and your kids. So you marched into the supermarket, you picked up a can or a box of something, you squinted at that little tiny label, and you were totally and utterly lost."

Over the next two years, the FDA gathered public input, got up to speed on the latest science, and made some big decisions about the little label that is the primary source of information people have about the foods they're eating.

The new label is finally here.

Friday, the FDA unveiled the new model. Here’s what’s new:

• Calories listed big and bold. There’s no missing it.
• “Calories from Fat” removed. Research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount, so “Total Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” will stay on the label.
• A new “added sugars” line, since added sugars affect your body differently than natural sugars.
• Realistic serving sizes, based on how much people generally eat in one sitting. It's not recommendation; it's a realistic assessments. And people eat more now than they did back when the nutrition labels first debuted.
• “Per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for things like ice cream pints and slightly bigger bags of chips that people could theoretically eat in one sitting, though it’s probably not advisable.
• Updated recommended daily values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D, consistent with new recommendations.
• Actual amounts of Vitamin D and potassium, not just the percent of the daily value, while actual amount will no longer be required for Vitamins A and C.
• An abbreviated footnote to better explain the "daily value."

“This is going to make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices,” said First Lady Michelle Obama in a statement. She will be formally announcing the changes later Friday morning.

Don’t get too excited though: Food manufacturers won’t be required to start using the new label until July 26, 2018.