In Mexico and other countries, stop-sign-shaped symbols appear on the front of certain food products to indicate these items contain high levels of sugar. These labels appear on obvious products like cookies, as well as some ketchup, yogurts, and breakfast cereals. Will similar labels appear on grocery store shelves in the United States?
Not soon, because the FDA is still considering the costs and benefits of this approach. But the goal of achieving clearer food labeling is a current priority of the FDA. And because scientific studies have generally found that front-of-package nutrition labels lead people to identify and choose healthier foods, more countries – including France, the UK, and Australia – now have voluntary programs that soon may become mandatory.
Companies in the food and beverage space oppose this initiative. They contend current labels provide consumers with sufficient nutritional information and can conflict with other dietary advice and confuse consumers. There is also significant disagreement, even among labeling proponents, over what these labels should say, what they should look like, and whether they should include signal colors like red, yellow, and green.
The ideal front-of-package label is simple, and visual, and lets the purchaser easily determine how healthy or unhealthy the product is. Only time will tell how the industry gets there.
As part of the government's quest to improve American eating habits, the Food and Drug Administration is considering requiring food manufacturers to put new labels on the front of packages. The labels might flag certain health risks, such as high levels of salt, sugar or saturated fat.
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