In case you haven’t heard, the Food and Drug Administration will require new food labeling on packaged foods starting July 2018. The change stems from the growing concern about the amount of sugar peeps are consuming.
According to NPR, the new labels will break down the carb count into sub-categories, and include “Added Sugars.” The added sugars will be listed in grams and a daily percentage. The hope is that when people see that a Coke, for example, contains 130% of your daily sugar intake, they may think twice. In addition, when manufacturers have to give their sugar content a percentage, they may seek to come up with recipes that have lower sugar content.
Manufacturers apparently fought the new regulations, stating that their products already provided total sugar content and that added sugars shouldn’t matter. According to the article I read on NPR, the Sugar Association called the new mandate a “dangerous precedent that is not grounded in science.” Sheesh, so many pockets to fill, how do we ever get anything done?!
I am not sure that I completely buy the new labeling as a ground-breaking solution to our sugar consumption. People need to move away from a heavily processed diet and get back to basics, in my opinion. Oddly, there haven’t been any phone calls asking for my opinion, though. 😉
I would love to know YOUR opinions, though! What do you think, will the new label affect how people shop on a large scale?
~Mavis
Pamela says
people are going to eat what they are going to eat. I don’t see this having a huge impact. Did listing calorie counts on menus or at fast food restaurants deter people from eating foods that they maybe shouldn’t?
Deborah from FL says
I was thinking the same thing. As a diabetic, i’m not the least bit excited about this change. Meh.
And i’ll add that i agree, back-to-basics really is key. 😉
Cheri says
I find that menus that list caloric counts are a big help for me in choosing what to order, and I think listing added sugars will help me as well. A lot of times I’ll notice sugar content but realize that some of that includes natural sugars. If I know what the manufacturer had to add to the natural sugars, I am more likely to use caution when I order food. Knowing that 4 grams of sugar equals about a teaspoon, the gram count of added sugar will serve as a wake-up call. Maybe a lot of people will ignore it, but I am grateful for this change. More information only empowers us.
Carol says
I agree with you, Cheri!
Jonnie says
New labels can help, but only for people who actually read them. I have always been a label reader, it’s why I avoid most commercially canned, and packaged food. I come from a family with rampant health problems, passed on to each generation, and discovered most of them occurred more frequently, after the move to the cities, from the farms.. That’s why I prefer my garden to a store.
Alison says
I’m concerned that when they reformulate to lower sugars they will be upping the artificial sweeteners which I think will have a much more detrimental long term effect. 🙁 I’m also concerned that these new labels will spawn a whole bunch of new fad diets. That said, I personally like the labeling because i like to be informed and I use it to win arguments with my kids 🙂
Brianna says
This would have been nice 7 years ago when I was a Gestational diabetic with my first child. I was diagnosed routinely mid-2nd trimester and there is hardly any education on how to manage it other than eat low sugar or no sugar and low carbs, etc. I was handed a list of friendly foods and basically told to try and consume those items, don’t eat the naughty list, check my sugars before and after meals, etc. Maybe 30 minutes of counseling. I didn’t understand the conversions on sugar and carbs listed on nutrition facts that I would need to balance. It was only for 13 weeks or so and I was a lost puppy trying to navigate through sugar and carbs in everything. Beyond that, I don’t think this would be effective for many consumers. Their bodies are so use to surviving on added sugars that they feel terrible trying to withdrawl from it all. Most people give up and think it is easier to just do what they are doing. I agree that manufactures will come up with clever ways to reduce those sugar numbers, including adding more artificial ingredients. We don’t crave sugar (we don’t eat from the sugar bowl), but crave the memories and comfort a food provides (cookie dough). I guess we will see which companies have been deceiving us about their ‘natural’ ingredients as they will have to own up. Perhaps they should label the sugar in kids medicine, gummy vitamins, and toothpaste? Kids like it for a reason.
Carrie says
I recently completed my first Whole30 (no sugar, dairy, processed foods, etc.). You basically just eat meat, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and good fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil or clarified butter. I had the “sugar hangover” the first two days but I felt amazing the weeks following. I really recommend it to anyone trying to kick a sugar habit or trying to eat healthier. It is absurd how sugar is in almost everything we eat. Bacon, sausage, salad dressing, pasta sauce, dried fruits, mayo, condiments you name it – it probably has sugar added!
I can never remember the daily recommended intakes of sugar or other nutrients so I think the label is a good idea.
Leslie says
I don’t think there is a daily recommended about of sugar, unfortunately
Mean Jean says
That article makes me want a coke!!
Vy says
Educating shoppers is only a good thing. We can’t force people to care about their health, but maybe some out there will finally have the tools to start making healthy choices. I personally am thrilled, sugar does evil things to my body (inflammation, for starts). I try to eat whole foods I cook myself, but I’m not perfect and it’s insidious where it hides. More info is a good, good thing.
In the 60s type 2 diabetes in childred and adolescents was unheard of, and now it’s an epidemic. I personally know a couple of people with kids that are suffering from it, and these kids are drinking sodas and slurpees, eating candy, eating food out of cans. We need more information out there to help these kids and their parents.