Food Association Developing Front Package Labeling System

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) plans to introduce a labeling system for the front of food packages that would "highlight the nutritional content of foods, including things like calories, unhealthy fats and sodium that many consumers want to limit" according to the New York Times.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also developing guidelines for information on the front of food packages.

The Institute of Medicine has called for nutrition labeling on the front of packages "to show only calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium, "the nutrients most closely associated with the major public health problems of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease."

An executive vice president for GMA said that the label "would not characterize a food's overall nutritional qualities as good or bad -- like the traffic signal label in Great Britain that displays a red circle for less healthy nutritional levels and a green circle for healthier levels."

The FDA stated that it hopes the industry "will develop a label that aids in consumer understanding and helps parents and other shoppers easily identify and select products that contribute to a healthy diet."

To read the New York Times story,  click here.

Posted: 10/28/2010