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Red lights, green dots, ticks, stars, healthy seals, nutrients to encourage, nutrients of concern, smart choices… The aim of front-of-pack labels is simple – to help us make healthier choices (or at least more informed ones) - fast. But how best to achieve this has prompted a storm of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. First up in this FoodNavigator-USA round up of the main FOP labeling schemes on offer, is the US Facts up Front/Nutrition Keys scheme, which takes a ‘factual’, rather than ‘interpretive’ approach. The scheme, which highlights calories, saturated fat, sodium, and total sugars per serving, also allows firms to highlight two ‘nutrients to encourage’ (potassium, fiber, vitamins, iron, protein) if a serving contains >10% of the daily value for that nutrient and meets FDA requirements for a “good source of ..." nutrient content claim. Jointly developed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Facts up Front labels will feature on “70% of packaged products in the marketplace” by the end of next year, says the GMA. "Consumers have said repeatedly that they want to make their own judgments, rather than have government tell them what they should and should not eat.” |
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