WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association, who in concert with the Food Marketing Institute launched the Facts Up Front nutrition labeling system in January, has "concerns" about the front of pack labeling approach the Institute of Medicine suggests in a new report.
The IOM's Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols Report recommends "a move away from systems that mostly provide nutrition information without clear guidance about its healthfulness, and toward one that encourages healthier food choices through simplicity, visual clarity, and the ability to convey meaning without written information."
The report comes at a time when a $50 million consumer education campaign is planned for the Facts Up Front system that highlights calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving, the daily value percentages for saturated fat and sodium, plus up to two icons showing "nutrients to be encouraged," such as fiber, protein, calcium and vitamins.
"Consumers have told us that they want simple and easy to use information and that they should be trusted to make decisions for themselves and their families," said a statement released by the GMA.
"The most effective programs are those that consumers embrace, and 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. That is the guiding principle of Facts Up Front, and why we have concerns about the untested, interpretive approach suggested by the IOM committee."
