WASHINGTON – Labels on foods will require significantly more information, including details about how much sugar has been added and calorie counts, as part of new rules finalized Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
An increase in type size on product labels will draw attention to calorie counts, as will some increases in the sizes of typical servings that better reflect how much of a product people normally eat at one sitting.
Certain vitamins and types of fat content must be listed on labels as well.
First Lady Michele Obama, who has made nutrition among children a focus of her time in the White House, praised the new labeling requirements.
"The serving sizes are more realistic," she said in a speech Friday to the Partnership for a Healthier America. "And, most important of all, this label will tell you how much sugar in your snack was added during processing and how much of it comes from ingredients like fruit."
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the new label will help inform consumer decisions that could reduce heart disease and obesity.
Minnesota-based General Mills, one of the country's largest packaged food makers, said Friday's announcement "represents the biggest change in the nutrition label in 20 years, and it will take some time to fully assess."
The added-sugars label attracted much of the attention in the new labeling regimen. It drew opposition from some in the food industry, which said total sugar content should not be broken down because it did not bear on public health. But the FDA remained steadfast in leaving the designation in place because of concerns about nutrition and obesity.