<![CDATA[Just Eat It, RD - Dietitian Tips]]>

Above is the new nutrition facts panel compared with the old one in the first place I saw it, a bag of Cheetos, eaten while playing Dungeons and Dragons. This is the first overhaul of the nutrition facts panel in over 20 years, and will deploy on packaging over the next year or two, depending on how long they decide to push the deadline back!

Above is a summary graphic released by the FDA. Some details:

Added sugars percent: not based on the amount you need in a day (which is zero), this is a limit on total sugar intake.

Added vitamin D and Potassium to the label, Vitamin C and Vitamin A are leaving. People are rarely deficient in either of these anymore. For reference, 800IU of vitamin D is the current recommended amount, which is 20mcg. I would recommend getting closer to 1000 IU daily, and anywhere up to 10,000 IU has been shown safe in studies.

Serving sizes - this is the big, invisible changes. Gone are the muffins that are 2 servings. Gone are 12oz sodas listed as 1.5 servings. Ice cream will now be ⅔ cup serving instead of ½ cup. If a container has 3 or fewer servings, they will need a dual panel listing nutrition in a serving and in a container. This will give people a more true idea of how much they are consuming. Below is an example of the dual panel you will see more, in this example there are 2 servings per container.

There is, of course, still a major problem that the nutrition label can’t solve. Most people have no idea what a calorie is and how many they should have. They think fats and carbs are bad, but don't realize that there are only 3 options (fat, carb, and protein). But that is another battle for another day. This new label may be confusing for people with the double panel, but I think it is still much better than the old label, providing more relevant information and cutting out unnecessary items.

These changes are supposed to take full effect by July 2018, but count on that date being pushed back as companies ask for an extension.

Sources:
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/enewsletter/enews_0516_03.shtml
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm

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