CONSUMER GROUP URGES LABELS FOR ADDED SUGAR

ALISON MAXWELL

WASHINGTON -- A consumer advocacy organization here has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to require that food and drink labels disclose the amount of sugar added to products.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, along with other health experts and organizations, has urged the FDA to require "Nutrition Facts" labels to report the quantity of added sugars present in packaged foods and to set a maximum recommended daily intake of about 10 teaspoons for added sugars. In addition, the groups have asked the agency to require labels to disclose the percentage of the Daily Value a food or beverage provides. Current food labels report the total sugar in a product, but do not differentiate between naturally occurring sugar and sweeteners added in manufacturing.

Thirty-nine organizations signed the CSPI's petition, including the American Public Health Association, General Koop's Shape Up America!, the YMCA and the Girls Scouts of America. The campaign is also supported by 33 experts on obesity and heart disease.

Food industry organizations, including the Grocery Manufacturers of America and the National Food Processors Association, contend the CSPI's campaign is off target, partly because it confuses consumers with too much information.