How the FDA’s new nutrition labels could push the food industry to become healthier

A new government proposal to place nutrition labels on the front of food packages aims to help Americans make more informed decisions about what they eat. Research and expert commentary suggests that a possible side effect could be to encourage the food industry to also produce healthier foods.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday unveiled a long-in-the-works proposal for a mandatory food labeling system that it says will combat chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, that have been linked to excessive consumption of saturated fats, Sodium and added sugar. Sixty percent of Americans live with at least one chronic illness and 40 percent live with two or more.

“We believe Food should be a tool for wellness, not a contributor to chronic disease,” Rebecca Buckner, deputy director of the Agency for Human Nutrition Policy, said in a news conference Tuesday.

The proposed label is a black-and-white box that displays the percentage of the daily recommended amount of sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat in a serving and indicates whether a serving has a “low,” “medium,” or “medium” value.” “high” content of each nutrient. The FDA says the reviews could provide an incentive for manufacturers to reduce levels of these three nutrients, although that is not the goal of the agency proposing the change. “We anticipate that there may be manufacturers that want to reformulate to move from high to mid category or from mid to low category,” Buckner noted.

The proposal is open for public comment over the next three months. What happens next is up to the Trump administration and perhaps Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pledged to take on the food industry as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” movement when he takes over as the new head of the Department of Food Food safety is confirmed by health and social services.