Front-of-package nutrition labeling

Front-of-package nutrition labels (FOPNL) are labels required on the front of packaged foods to give consumers basic nutrition information in a way that is easy to understand and allows them to compare different products quickly. These labels typically highlight when foods contain high levels of nutrients that are commonly overconsumed and linked to adverse health outcomes (i.e., sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat). FOPNL can help counteract the selective claims that manufacturers choose to highlight on the front labels (e.g., All natural! Low fat! High fiber!) to give consumers a more honest snapshot of the food at a glance. Dozens of countries have adopted FOPNL to empower consumers to make healthy choices and prompt food manufacturers and retailers to offer healthier foods. It’s about time the US joins them.

Ask FDA to require simple, standardized front-of-package nutrition labels

Why we need front-of-package labeling

US adults consume 50 percent more sodium, 40 percent more added sugars, and 30 percent more saturated fat per day than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend, contributing to preventable chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Our packaged food supply is far too high in these harmful nutrients.

Nutrition Facts labels are important tools for helping people select healthy foods and limiting less healthy foods, and display a % Daily Value to convey how a particular food can fit into our total daily diet. However, only 63 percent of adults understand how to interpret the % Daily Value and only 57 percent know how to tell when a food is “High” in a nutrient, with lower rates among those with less education.

A chart illustrating varying comprehension rates of the %DV system, sorted by educational attainment — Graph by CSPI using data from FDA Food Safety and Nutrition Survey 2019

FOPNL will help make nutrition information more accessible for all consumers. Studies show that FOPNL can result in healthier food purchases and can prompt manufacturers to offer healthier foods, resulting in a healthier food supply.

The current status of front-of-package labeling in the United States

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has clearly stated that FOPNL is among the agency's top priorities. In 2022-2023, the FDA conducted consumer research and stakeholder engagement to inform the development of FOPNL for U.S. foods. As of August 2024, the FDA is working to draft a proposed rulemaking that is scheduled for release in October 2024. Once released, the public will have an opportunity to submit comments, which will inform the development of the FDA’s final rule. Once the FDA issues a final rule, we will know exactly what the new US labels will look like and by when they will appear in stores.

Which front-of-package labeling schemes are FDA considering?

The FDA’s consumer research tested eight potential FOPNL designs that fall into three broad categories:

Guideline Daily Amount labels that highlight quantitative information from the Nutrition Facts label and are modeled after industry’s Facts Up Front voluntary labeling system
Nutrition Info labels that rate levels of nutrients as High, Medium, or Low
High In labels that only identify products with high levels of specific nutrients and are very similar to labels recently adopted in Canada and Brazil.
There is evidence that images or icons can increase the noticeability of health-related labels and improve understanding among diverse groups with different language and literacy skills. CSPI also recommends that mandatory FOPNL include a calorie disclosure because many people in the US consume more calories than they need, and evidence shows that calorie labeling can reduce calories purchased.

The eight front-of-package nutrition labeling schemes tested by FDA, arranged into a table by CSPI — Table by CSPI using FDA label images

What the evidence says about which front-of-package labeling scheme is best

Of the three categories of FOPNL under consideration at the FDA (Guideline Daily Amount, Nutrition Info, and High In), current evidence best supports the High In scheme.

The High In scheme is most similar to nutrient warning-style labels and the Nutrition Info scheme is most similar to traffic light-style labels, both of which have been tested in extensive experimental research and implemented in other countries. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies comparing nutrient warnings and traffic light labels found that nutrient warnings were more effective for most outcomes related to improved nutritional quality of food purchases. Real-world evidence confirms that nutrient warnings lead to healthier food purchases, whereas traffic light labels have shown less promise.

The Guideline Daily Amount scheme is the least promising. Studies consistently show that these types of labels are less effective at encouraging selection or purchase of healthier choices and improving consumers’ ability to accurately compare the healthfulness of different foods compared to other FOPNL schemes. These findings are not surprising since Guideline Daily Amount labels rely on consumer understanding of the % Daily Value, which is low.

High In labels with exclamation points vs other FOPNL schemes — Label images with exclamation points created by CSPI (left). Others are FDA label images (middle and right)

Other countries already require front-of-package labeling

As of March 2024, 16 countries have already adopted mandatory FOPNL and many more have policies under development. The Global Food Research Program at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill maintains and regularly updates a global front-of-package labeling map.