Posted October 3, 2013
A new bill has been introduced to amend the Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act, proposing new requirements for nutritional information on
food labels, according to a Whole Foods article, available here.
The “Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2013” was introduced
by Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and is co-sponsored by Rep. Rosa
DeLauro (D-CT). The legislation was
introduced in the Senate by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The full text of the bill is available here.
According to an article by the Shelton Herald,
available here, the bill is designed to cut down on “confusing and misleading
information that consumers encounter on today’s food packages.” The bill would direct the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (USDHHS) to “establish a single, standard front of
package nutrition labeling system” for all food products.
The proposed bill would change nutrition labels to make
them easier for consumers to read by separating ingredients by bullet points
and using a different font. The bill
would also create new guidelines for the use of the words “healthy” or “made
with whole grain.” In addition, the
percent daily value for calories and the amount of added sugar would be
required on the Nutrition Facts Panel.
Michael F. Jacobson, executive director for the Center
for Science in the Public Interest said, “This bill would give consumers
confidence that the claims they read on food labels … are grounded in reality.”
Rep. DeLauro said, “The Food Labeling Modernization Act
will give food labeling requirements in America a major, common-sense, and
long-overdue overhaul by making sure food labels are clear, accurate, and a
fair representation of the product.”
Rep. Pallone said that “healthy eating is critical to
combating” the epidemic of childhood obesity and “that is why it is so
important that when families make the effort to eat nutritious healthy food,
the labels on the food products help them make the right choices – not confuse
or mislead them.”
Major food labeling provisions of the Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act have not been updated since 1990 and, in some areas, have not
changed since 1938. A press release from
Rep. Pallone’s office is available here.
For more information on food labeling, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
