Nutrition Food Facts Label Up-dated

++  Recently, the US FDA approved a new version of the Nutrition Facts label for food.  This label has been use for about 20 years. In that time, new research into health issues, using newer/more precise techniques, has helped us (as a society) understand food-related health issues better.  Our personal health habits have also changed (not always for the better!).  The new labels take these changes into consideration.  These labels will be phased in over the next 2 years.

The new Nutrition Facts label will include the following.

• New font requirements in order to highlight “calories” and “servings,” which help make better-informed food choices.
• Requirements for serving sizes that more closely reflect the amounts of food that people actually eat. 
• A line added for "added sugar."  This will help in evaluating the nutrient density of a food (how much nutrition per 100 calories).  For example, fruit has some natural sugar; the "added sugar" line helps you see how much is added in processing canned fruit.
• Some changes to show you the calorie level, etc., in the amount of food people often eat/drink. For example, a 20-oz. bottle of soda is more than one serving, but people often drink it all as one helping.
• Updated % daily values for nutrients such as sodium and potassium, along with actual amount, in grams, of some nutrients in the food.   
• “Calories from Fat” will no longer be shown.  The kind of fat has a bigger impact on most people's health than the total amount of fat.  Even excess added sugar can increase level of the "bad fats" in your body.
• Changes in the footnote to better explain the %DV. 

Be watching for these changes in a grocery store near you!  They are there to help you make healthier food choices.