The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled an overhaul of food nutrition labels that has been more than a decade in the making, in a sign of consumers’ growing focus on the ingredients in packaged food companies’ products.

The new labels revise serving sizes, display calorie counts more prominently and include information on added sugar – moves that have long been pushed by health advocates. It is the first update of the labels in the more than two decades since they were introduced by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Among the proposals are more realistic portion sizes for many items, with many being increased to reflect the amounts consumers typically eat. A pint of ice cream would be labelled as two servings instead of the current four, for example.

“By law, the label information on serving sizes must be based on what people actually eat, not on what they ‘should’ be eating”, the FDA said.

The new rules address a point health advocates have long argued: that current labels do not adequately account for the sugar that is added to everything from pasta sauce to white bread. Producers will have to distinguish between naturally occurring sugar and sugar that has been added to their products.

The FDA estimates that the changes to the labels, which appear on more than 700,000 products, will cost companies about $2bn. They are forecast to produce $20bn-$30bn in health benefits over the next two decades.

Packaged food companies, which have been making moves to address consumer concerns by removing controversial ingredients and emphasising products perceived as “better for you”, were generally positive about the proposed changes.

Paul Bakus, US president of corporate affairs at Nestlé, the maker of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and Hot Pockets frozen sandwiches, said it ­“recognised the importance of providing clear information that helped consumers make healthier choices about their diet and we welcome efforts to help advance that cause”.

The American Beverage Association, which represents companies including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, said many of the proposals “are consistent with changes already implemented voluntarily by our members”.

It said beverage companies have been labelling 20-ounce drinks as single servings and displaying calorie counts on the front of their packaging since in 2010, when Michelle Obama, US first lady, launched her Let’s Move anti-obesity campaign. The rules proposed on Thursday would make the serving size rule a federal requirement for the first time.

Overall, the proposals were also welcomed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the $2.1tn US food, beverage and packaged goods industry.

“Diets, eating patterns and consumer preferences have changed dramatically since the Nutrition Facts [labels] were first introduced,” the GMA said. “It is critical that any changes are based on the most current and reliable science.”

The FDA will issue a final rule on the proposal after a 90-day period for public comments. Companies will have two years to make the changes.

The current nutrition labels began appearing on packaged foods in 1994, following the passage of a 1990 law requiring them.

Health advocates have long argued that they were inadequate, but succeeded in making only one significant change: the 2006 addition of trans fats. The FDA last year moved to all but ban those partially hydrogenated oils.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer watchdog that lobbied for the passage of the original 1990 laws, said it gave the proposed rules “high marks”. But it said the FDA should also include a “daily value” for added sugar on the labels and lower the daily value for sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams.

“While the FDA is off to a strong start, the agency must do more to ensure that these labels communicate better advice on sugar and salt,” said Michael Jacobson, CSPI executive director.

Mrs Obama announced the changes at the White House on the fourth anniversary of her Let’s Move initiative and days after she revealed stricter guidelines for junk food advertising at schools. She has made health, exercise and nutrition her signature issues.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple: that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family,” Mrs Obama said on Thursday.

The news came two days after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 43 per cent drop in the obesity rate among 2 to 5-year-olds over the past decade, in a promising sign that the US is turning the tide of the obesity epidemic. About 8 per cent of children in that age group were obese in 2012, down from 14 per cent in 2004.

Adult obesity remains widespread in the US, afflicting roughly a third of the population. Obesity-related medical conditions cost the country $150bn a year, said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services.

Source : http://www.ft.com/