Conference Poster: Progress Toward Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling in the United States

American adults consume 50% more sodium, 40% more added sugars, and 30% more saturated fat per day than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend, contributing to preventable chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Nutrition Facts labels are important tools for helping people select healthy foods, but only 63% adults understand how to interpret the % Daily Value, with lower rates among those with less education.

Front-of-package nutrition labels (FOPNL) use simple words, symbols, colors, or letter grades, and contextualize information from the Nutrition Facts label to facilitate healthy choices.

In a March 2023 poll of 3,010 consumers, 75% said they would support a policy requiring FOPNL in the U.S.

16 countries have already adopted mandatory FOPNL. Many more have policies under development. In the U.S., a proposed rule for FOPNL is being developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This poster summarizes progress toward FOPNL in the U.S. by:

• Providing a historical timeline
• Summarizing FDA's current work, including schemes under consideration and evidence (or lack thereof) supporting them
• Reviewing practice implications for nutrition professionals

Practice implications for nutrition professionals

• The ‘High In’ FOPNL labels have the strongest evidence base compared to the other labels FDA is considering. 
• Well-designed, mandatory FOPNL would provide consumers with clear, quick, and easily accessible information about key nutrients of concern. This could particularly benefit non-English speakers and those with low literacy/numeracy.
• FOPNL is a useful tool for nutrition education. Nutrition professionals could assess individuals' dietary needs and recommend strategies for using FOPNL to inform food choices. For example, patients with hypertension could be instructed to limit or avoid products labeled "High In Sodium" and patients with type 2 diabetes could be instructed to limit or avoid products labeled "High in Added Sugars" or "High in Saturated Fat."
• FDA is also developing a voluntary “FDA Healthy” logo for foods meeting certain nutrition standards. A food environment with some foods labeled "Healthy" and others labeled "High In" would allow for even simpler nutrition education messages: Look for foods labeled ‘Healthy.' Limit foods labeled 'High In.'
   

For more details and research sources, download the PDF below.