of shoppers, you consult the Nutrition Factspanel on food packages before you buy. To makeit easier to make informed food choices, the U.S. Food and Drug ‘Administration (FDA)has developed a new Nutrition Facts label. Here are the seven majornewfeatures: 1. Increased printsize for “Calories” Calorie countswill be easierto see. 2. Inclusion of “Added Sugars.” The FDA currently defines added sugars as “sugars that are either added during the processing of foods, or are packaged as such, and include sugars (free, mono- and disaccharides), sugars New food labels are easier to understand and may promotehealthy eating. 5. Increased print size for “Serving Size” and “Servings per Package/ Container.” Portion control remains a problem concentratedfruit or vegetable juices that for many. Increased visibility of recommended serving sizes can help people fruit or vegetable juice of the same type.” potassium are now required, instead from syrups and honey, andsugars from are in excess of what would be expected from the same volume of 100 percent Sugaralcohols, or polyols,provide sweetnessbut aren't counted as “added sugars” because they're not sugar. These low-digestible carbohydrates can replace sugar as a lower-calorie alternative. Common polyols includeerythritol, maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol,lactitol, isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. 3. Changing “Sugars” to “Total makebetter, more accurate decisions. 6. The amountsof vitamin D and of vitamins A and C. Basedonresearch from the Institute of Medicine, the new labelswill include this informationto increasevisibility of vitamin D and potassium requirements. Though voluntary, similar informa- tion for vitamins A and C maystill be included. 7. Revision of“Percent Daily Value” Sugars” Footnote. foods. This change can help consum- state: “The % Daily Valuetells you how mucha nutrientina serving offood contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a Sugar can be present in healthy ers understand the amountofsugar the product contains from any source. 4. Removalof “Calories from Total Fat.” Research showsthe type offat (for example, polyunsaturated) is more important than the total calories from fat. Labelsstill include “TotalFat,’ “Saturated Fat” and “Trans Fat” The new language will specifically dayis used for general nutrition advice” Experts at the Calorie Control Council, a nonprofitassociation that seeks to pro- vide objective, science-based commu- nications about low-calorie foods and beverages, suggestthatthis revision may help clarify the meaning of“Daily Value”
