Pallone Applauds FDA’s Step To Update Nutrition Labels
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), the senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, applauded the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for taking a major step to update nutrition labels on food packages for the first time in two decades. The FDA’s landmark proposal is intended to help parents and other consumers make healthier choices in light of new public health trends and new studies linking diet to various chronic diseases. The announcement also comes on the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move!, the First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.
In September 2013, Congressman Pallone introduced legislation, the “Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2013,” which calls for similar steps to be taken in order to more accurately convey what certain products contain. Pallone’s bill looks at food labeling reform in a comprehensive manner, addressing front-of-package labeling, misleading health claims, and requiring updates to the Nutrition Facts Panel, as well as the ingredient list. Like the FDA’s proposal, Pallone’s bill also strengthens current law to target trends in marketing that confuse or mislead consumers when they are attempting to compare food products.
“I commend the FDA for taking this important first step in the battle against obesity and diet-related disease. Updating nutrition labels is critical so that consumers have the clear, consistent information they need when making important decisions about the food they buy and give to their families,” said Congressman Pallone. “Childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past 30 years and continues to be a huge public health problem in this country that puts millions of American children at risk. I applaud the First Lady’s efforts to bring much needed attention to this epidemic and all her work over the past four years to highlight the importance of healthy eating.
“When families make the effort to eat nutritious, healthy food, the labels on food products help them make the right choices—not confuse or mislead them,” Pallone added. “This proposal is an excellent step in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with the FDA to do even more to cut down on the confusing and misleading information that consumers encounter on food packages every day.”
The FDA’s proposal addresses several major problems with nutrition labels in their current form. It requires that sugars added to foods, that is, sugars not naturally occurring in certain products, be listed explicitly on the nutrition label, a change that Congressman Pallone originally called for in September 2013. The FDA’s proposal also highlights the need for more prominent placement of caloric information and serving sizes on packages and proposes updating daily values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber and Vitamin D. The serving sizes listed on packages should also, according to the FDA, reflect the likelihood of consumption in a single sitting, a change also featured in Pallone’s legislation. For example, if a product is likely to be consumed in its entirety in one sitting, than it should be considered a single serving. This change to serving size requirements is meant to more accurately reflect how people eat and drink today, which has changed since serving sizes were first established 20 years ago.
More information on the FDA’s proposed changes can be found here: https://1.usa.gov/1hs1NpP.