CPM Summer 2019 - 11

daup h i n c m s  .o
.o rg

Cap
Your
Sweet
Tooth
New Nutrition Labels to have
"Includes Added Sugars"
By NICHOLAS NOVERATI,
MS4, Penn State College
of Medicine

I

n case you missed the announcement
in 2016, the United States Food
and Drug Administration (FDA)
revealed that the familiar black and
white text box on the back of all of your
favorite food products-the "Nutrition
Facts" label-would be getting some new
updates. One of the changes that has gained
particular attention is the addition of a new
line of text "Includes __ Added Sugars,"
under the "Total Sugars" section of "Total
Carbohydrates." As the name points out,
this change to the label delineates how
much of the sugar that is in a product is
in addition to its natural sugar content.

Although manufacturers with $10 million or more in sales are required to update
their labels by January 1, 2020, and those
making less than $10 million by January
1, 2021, you can find many products in
your local grocery store that have already
made the transition. But what does this
really mean for you, a consumer, and how
can you utilize this new piece of data to
aid in your selections?
Figure 1 shows a comparison of two labels
of popular breakfast cereal brands, one with
an updated nutrition facts label and one
without. In this example, the included added
sugars line on the product on the right allows
the consumer to better understand how much

Figure 1
sugar was added during manufacturing to
improve taste. The utility of this information
can be educational, as the consumer begins
to realize how much sugar is "unnatural."
Also, for those that are looking to limit sugar
in their diet, it is now easier to specifically
target limiting added sugars as a first step.

sugars can certainly be a first step to making
smarter choices at the grocery store for
many consumers. Further, clinicians can
educate themselves about these new labels
and motivate their patients to do the same,
inspiring healthy lifestyle changes and begin
to help cap the sweet tooth of America.

Although there are many changes to the
new labels, all of which can be found at
www.fda.gov, better understanding added
Central PA Medicine Summer 2019 11
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CPM Summer 2019

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