What could be termed as a signature accomplishment for Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move! Campaign”, FDA 
declared its final rule for food package label overhaul, in order to put a stop to childhood obesity within a generation. It was in 2010, when the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity called to improve the accuracy, quality and consistency of the food labels on packaging, so that the agenda for Let’s Move! Campaign is set and parents are able to take a better and more conscious decision while selecting healthier food choices for their kids. It was noticed by the task force that most of the adults went by what was written on the food labels to buy the food for their kids, however, there was hardly any noticeable change on the labels since the 1993 FDA regulations.
FDA rapidly took up the task of revising the food labels in 2005, and was requested by public inputs on updating serving size, and formal rulemaking began on 2008. The rule was proposed by FDA, and last call for comments was issued in 2014. Let’s attribute this 9-year process to policies and details:
Let’s first look at the details. The Federal Register notice that talks about food label has around 943 pages, and additionally contains another 170 pages to explain the serving size changes. The fact sheet can quite explain the policies. Mostly, the changes are relatively uncontroversial – emphasizing on calories, removing calories from fat, ‘dual column’ labels for ‘per serving/per package’ requirements, etc. Michelle Obama commented, “You will no longer need a microscope, a calculator, or a degree in nutrition to figure out whether the food you’re buying is actually good for our kids. So that’s a phenomenal achievement.”
The new label is a win for Let’s Move! Campaign and public health, however, it is to be remembered that healthful diets aren’t based on food products, but on foods itself. Anyway, the regulations need to be complied with, and it is important to understand the new changes and get a lowdown on the recent FDA changes in labeling of food and beverages. Join the session titled “Understanding the New Changes to Food Labels and the Corresponding Effects on Food and Beverages” on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 where expert speaker Justin J. Pronchnow will explain the latest FDA revision on labeling requirements for food, beverages and dietary supplements to help you achieve compliance on the newly instated regulations.
Some of the changes are:
- Doubling the size of the font size of calories, making them the largest piece of information on the panel
- Adding a line for “added sugars” with a DRV of 50g
- Adding Vitamin D and potassium as nutrients required to be displayed, while moving vitamin C and A to voluntary status
