The FDA on Nov. 21 sent a proposal to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget that would require front-of-package nutrition labels for foods and beverages, part of an effort to make it easier for consumers to choose healthier products and hopefully reduce chronic disease in the U.S.
Specific details were not publicized, but the goal is to highlight foods are high in nutrients linked to chronic diseases; calories, saturated fat, sugar and sodium have been discussed in the past.
Equally important is how the information might be displayed. In addition to simple words and numbers, the FDA and a committee have looked at efforts in other countries, including a traffic light (United Kingdom), Nutri-Score (France), a star rating similar to movie reviews (Australia/New Zealand) and a stop sign for high amounts of negative ingredients (Chile).
Sixteen countries, including Germany and Spain, already have front-of-package nutrition labeling, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which supports the initiative. Momentum for a U.S. nutrition label came out of a September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The FDA has held several meetings and focus groups on the subject since.
While the proposals are with the current lame-duck administration, its fate rests with the incoming Trump administration – which on the one hand eschews new regulations on business but also has embraced the Make America Healthy Again movement promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s been nominated to lead the Dept. of Health and Human Services, the FDA’s parent agency.