Posted: February 17, 2020
By Kathryn Ciamaichelo, Morrison Living Nutrition Care Manager
Have you seen the changes to the nutrition facts panel?
This January, food manufacturers who profit $10 million or more per year are required to update the nutrition facts panel for their products. Smaller companies have until 2021 to make changes, but many have already made the switch. Here’s what you need to know.
The serving size may have changed. Some items will have updated serving sizes meant to reflect portions that are more realistic for the average consumer (Who really eats just 1oz. of chips?!).
The total calories will be bigger and bolder to make them more noticeable to the consumer.
Calories from fat will no longer be included. It is more important to focus on the type of fat than the amount of fat. Choose foods that have higher amounts of mono and poly unsaturated fats than saturated or trans-fat.
The percent of daily fiber will reflect the new dietary guideline recommendations, which have increased from 25g to 28g per day. Aim for foods that have 3g of fiber or more per serving.
The required vitamins and minerals have changed. Vitamin C and A have gone away and Vitamin D and Potassium are now required, two nutrients that Americans don’t always get enough of. The nutrients will now be declared in quantitative amounts (ie: mg, mcg) as well as percent daily value.
Added sugars are now required to be on the label and “sugars” will change to “total sugars.” This will help consumers see how much sugar is added to a product in production. The latest dietary guidelines support reducing caloric intake from added sugars. When it comes to added sugars, less is best.
The footnote has changed to help consumers make more sense of how a particular food fits into a 2,000 calorie diet.
(New)trition Facts Panel
NUTRIENTS
GET MORE OF
FIBER
VITAMIN D
CALCIUM
POTASSIUM
IRON
GET LESS OF
SATURATED FAT
TRANS FAT
SODIUM
ADDED SUGARS
If you’d like to see a side by side comparison of the old vs. the new label, you can visit:
Learn more about the dining experience at Casey’s Pond
About The Author
Kat Ciamaichelo is a registered dietitian, ski and mountain bike enthusiast and travel junkie. She’s on a mission to prove that healthy eating doesn’t involve restriction or a rocket science degree. When she’s not in the office or on a mountain, you’ll find her cooking without a recipe or working on her crossword skills.
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