New Nutrition Labels to Hit Store Shelves in 2020

The new nutritional labels are finally coming to your store shelves.

It’s a project started by former first lady Michelle Obama that was delayed by the current administration at the urging of some food trade groups. However, a swell of food brands have voluntarily made the changes, as they felt it was better for the consumer. These companies who put the consumer's needs first are the ones who continue to build a strong relationship with those shoppers. 

Now, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has announced new guidance for food manufacturers. The new nutritional label has a larger font size for calories counts, a new callout for added sugars and, most important, serving sizes that are more realistic. 

The new guidance also includes a revised definition of dietary fiber in food. Now, the term will only include nondigestible carbs that are proven to have health benefits. 

The FDA announced new guidance for honey, maple syrup and cranberry products to help them label added sugars on their nutritional labels. 

“While honey and maple syrup meet the definition of added sugars, we heard concerns from industry that declaring added sugars on their single ingredient products may lead consumers to think their pure products—such as a jar of honey or maple syrup—actually contain added table sugar because added sugars are listed on the Nutrition Facts label,” Gottlieb said. “We also heard from cranberry juice manufacturers that their products need to be sweetened for palatability because cranberries have less natural sugar than other fruits.” 

The FDA has now proposed a compliance date of Jan. 1, 2020, for large food manufacturers and Jan. 1, 2021, for smaller food manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual sales. The original deadline was July of this year.