The standard for nutrition labels appearing on most packaged foods was updated this week, in part to more accurately reflect nutrition information based on how much people really eat.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the label was last changed in 1993, and “what and how much people eat and drink has changed,” the agency said.
There will be an updated design to highlight calories and servings, which are “two important elements in making informed food choices,” FDA said.
The new serving sizes will be more realistic, which in some cases means people are eating more.
For example, under the old label, one pint of ice cream is considered four servings, with each serving being 200 calories.
Now the new serving size is three servings for one pint and 270 calories for a single serving.
Labels also now must include any added sugars to products such as soft or fruit drinks, coffee, tea and desserts.
In addition, the term “calories from fat” will be removed from the labels, as research shows the type of fat people eat is more important than the amount, the agency said. Labels will continue to include information on total fat, saturated fat and trans fat.
Nutrition fact labels are on packaged foods except for certain meats and processed egg products regulated by the Department of Agriculture.
