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New & Improved Nutrition Facts Label

READ TIME: 3 MINUTES
January 15, 2020
Nutritional Information & Wellness

On May 20, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration introduced the updated Nutrition Facts Label on packaged foods and beverages, with a fresh design after almost two decades.

At first glance, the new label may not seem too different, but upon a closer look, it reflects more helpful nutritional information. Not only does the new label realistically showcase the way we eat today, it allows consumers to make more informed decisions.

The updated label features:

  • a refreshed design
  • updated information about nutrition science including the link between diet and chronic diseases
  • updates to serving sizes and labeling requirements for certain package sizes

The FDA’s extended compliance dates for the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts are now upon us:

  • January 1, 2020 – Manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales
  • January 1, 2021- Manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales
A Review: What’s New?

The new labels have a greater focus on calories and serving size, new information indicating how much sugar is added, as well as an increased focus on nutrients that many Americans need more of.

  1. Servings: Servings per container and serving size are in a larger and bolder type. Serving sizes have also been updated to reflect what people eat and drink today.
  2. Calories: Calories are now in larger and bolder type.
  3. Use % Daily Value as a Guide: The Daily Values for nutrients have been updated based on new scientific evidence. The Daily Values are reference amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day (for adults and children 4 year of age and older) and are used to calculate the % Daily Value.
  4. Choose Nutrients Wisely: The nutrients that are required on the label have been updated. Added Sugars, Vitamin D, and potassium are now required on the label.
  5. Check out the Ingredient List: Even though the ingredient list is not part of the Nutrition Facts label, it is also a helpful tool. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last.
Power Your Product Content Transparency and Supply Chain Efficiency

Some of the risks tied to non-compliant labeling include supply chain disruption, product recalls, penalties, and damaged brand reputation. Food and beverage companies that want to get ahead of these latest regulations need to start implementing as much of the new guidance as possible since the cost will only increase as the deadlines approach.

The amount of time and effort to prepare for compliance is often underestimated. Now is a great time to evaluate whether your product content is optimized.

Luckily, the Syndigo platform saves our clients time and resources by integrating all product content management in a single place, which simplifies any existing manual processes such as combining data sources from independent locations.

Our core content helps retailers provide more detailed, transparent nutritional information that consumers know and love well ahead of the deadline.

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