news & trends

FDA introduces new Nutrition Facts Table

The Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) in the USA is over 20 years old. On May 20, 2016, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) introduced the new label to help consumers south of our border make informed choices about the food they buy and eat.

NFT old versus new 2016 v2

Here’s a brief summary of the key changes that will take effect by July 2018 on USA food labels:

1. Serving size and servings per container – are now highlighted in larger font and/or bold. Serving sizes have been updated.
LIKE: This underscores the importance of portion sizes.
DISLIKE: The serving sizes are based on the amounts of food and beverages that people are actually eating, not on the amounts that they should be eating. For example, the serving size of ice cream was previously ½ cup but is changing to 2/3 cup.

2. Calories – are now highlighted in extra large font (how can you miss it?)
LIKE: With a global obesity crisis, calories have become the simple currency of weight. We tend to underestimate the calories that we consume.
BUT…Calories does not tell the whole story. Remember to look at the bigger picture of nutrient density and food quality. A Greek yogurt parfait with nuts and fruit may have more calories that a donut – but which is the healthier choice?

3. Calories from fat – have been removed
LIKE: We know that the quality and type of fat is more important that the amount of fat.

4. Added sugars – makes a debut on the new USA NFT. The %DV (% Daily Value) is set at 50 grams.
LIKE: Consumers are hearing more about sugar and health. According to the FDA, research shows that it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within caloric limits if you consume more than 10% of your total calories from added sugars. Disclosing the amount of added sugars on the label will help consumers better distinguish between the natural sugars versus the added sugars in the food.

5. Vitamin D and potassium
– are required to be declared on the USA NFT, along with calcium and iron. For each of these, both the actual amount and the %DV amount are listed. Vitamins A and C are no longer mandatory, and can be listed on a voluntary basis.
LIKE: Since many of us are probably not getting enough Vitamin D, potassium, calcium and iron, these nutrients are of public health significance.

6. Footnote – is added to help put the %DV into context for consumers.
LIKE: The %DV is an easy way for consumers to determine whether the food has a little (less than 5% DV) or a lot (15% DV or more) of a nutrient.

The real question now is – will Health Canada follow suit with our NFT?
We’ll keep you posted as it happens!

Health Canada announces proposed changes to the food label and Nutrition Facts table

On June 12th, Health Canada shared a proposed Nutrition Facts table aimed to improve nutrition information on food labels. As part of the consultation process you are invited to provide comments in writing to Health Canada by August 26, 2015. This is the right time to get involved let your voice be heard! In general, the proposed changes are as follows:

  • Serving sizes will be regulated to make them consistent and reflect what is typically eaten (e.g. a serving of bread will be 2 slices instead of 1 slice)
  • The information about serving sizes and calories will be more prominent
  • Sugars will have a new % Daily Value (%DV) of 100 grams and sugars will be grouped together in the ingredients list
  • The %DV for carbohydrates will be removed
  • A footnote will appear at the bottom of the Nutrition Facts table to explain that 5% DV or less is a little and 15% DV or more is a lot
  • Food colours will be identified by their common name in the list of ingredients
  • A new health claim will be allowed, “A healthy diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of heart disease”
  • Vitamins A and C will be removed from the Nutrition Facts table, and potassium will be added
  • The actual amounts in milligrams (mg) of potassium, calcium and iron will now be shown in addition to their % DV

Contact us if you would like to discuss the interpretation of the proposed label changes and how they may impact your business. We can also assist with your comments to Health Canada during the consultation phase which ends August 26, 2015.

Let your voice be heard! Help shape Canada’s new food labels

Health Canada recently announced proposed new changes to the Nutrition Facts table and ingredients lists with the goal of improving nutrition information on food labels. We encourage you to you consider the proposed changes and voice your opinion to Health Canada through their 10 question on-online survey and/or technical consultation before September 11th, 2014.

Some of the key proposed changes include:

  • listing Calories in a bigger and bold font
  • using consistent serving sizes on similar foods
  • increasing the Daily Value for fat and calcium, and decreasing the Daily Value for sodium
  • removing the % Daily Value for fibre and total carbohydrates
  • adding information about added sugars by including a % Daily Value for sugars as well as showing the amount of added sugars in the product
  • removing vitamins A and C, but adding potassium and vitamin D to the label
  • grouping nutrients that we should limit (fat, sodium and sugar) at the top half of the label
  • grouping nutrients that we need to get enough of (fibre, vitamins, minerals) at the bottom half of the label.

The consultation period is now open, and all consumers and stakeholders are invited to provide input on the proposed changes. We strongly urge you to let your voice be heard and share your feedback in shaping this important national nutrition labelling regulation.

Health Canada has developed three consumer fact sheets about Ÿ Serving Sizes, ŸNutrition Facts table and Ingredient List and  Sugar Content.  Consumers can provide their feedback through a 10 question online survey.

For food and health professionals, there is also a series of five technical consultation documents which explain the rationale for the proposed changes: Ÿ Format Requirements, ŸCore Nutrients, ŸDaily Values (%DV), ŸReference Amounts and Ÿ Serving Sizes. You are also invited to provide feedback to each of these consultation documents.

All comments must be submitted to Health Canada by September 11, 2015. Please contact us for assistance in reviewing the proposed changes, providing feedback to the consultation, and discussing how these changes may impact your products’ nutrition claims.