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Be Prepared for Nutrition Facts Panel Changes
- By: admin
- On: 12/04/2024 14:14:36
- In: Industry News
By Oliver Irwin, AAMP Administrative Assistant
The time is approaching for USDA inspected facilities to update the nutrition facts panel on packaging to the newer 2016-style format. The old 1990-style nutrition facts panel will no longer be compliant on Jan 1, 2026. From Docket No. FSIS-2022-0016:
FSIS is establishing January 1, 2026, as the uniform compliance date for new meat and poultry product labeling regulations that will be issued between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. FSIS periodically announces uniform compliance dates for new meat and poultry product labeling regulations to minimize the economic impact of label changes.
If you are unsure if your products are using the old or new nutrition facts panel format, please refer to the infographic accompanying this article. The nutrition facts panel on the left is the old style, and the nutrition facts panel on the right is the new style. At a glance, an easy way to spot-check if you're using the 2016-style is the font size. The older nutrition fact panel has a uniform font size, with some slight variance in bolded letters. The newer nutrition facts panel has a larger and bolded serving size, but the biggest difference is the calories. These are much larger and prominently displayed on the new version.
The major changes to the Nutrition Facts label include:
- A more prominent display of “calories,” “servings,” and “servings per container” that drives consumers' attention to these important elements when making informed food choices.
- Requirements for declaring the amount of “Added Sugars” in a food product. This is consistent with the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Institute of Medicine's determination that calorie intake from added sugar is too high in the U.S. population and should be reduced. Including “Added Sugars” on the label will help consumers know how much sugar has been added to a product.
- Updated serving size requirements to reflect the amounts people currently eat. What and how much people eat and drink has changed since the serving sizes were first put into place in 1993. By law, serving sizes must be based on the portion consumers actually eat.
- “Dual column” labels to highlight both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for the whole package of certain food products.
- An abbreviated footnote better explaining percent Daily Value.
- An updated list of nutrients required to be declared based off public health significance. Vitamin D and potassium—nutrients Americans often do not get enough of—will be required. Calcium and iron will continue to be required. Vitamins A and C are no longer required but can be included on a voluntary basis.