The FDA’s proposals to crack down on added sugars have drawn a line in the sand for many big food manufacturers, such as General Mills, Kellogg’s and Unilever. While some, such as Nestle and Mars, are actually in favor of the bill – the opposition remains strong.

The FDA isn’t asking a lot. Adding added sugars to the nutrition facts panel and a product’s respected percentage of the daily limit, which will be set at 10% (50g per 2000 calories) is actually a great idea. But, obviously, if the majority of your products provided 100% or more of the daily limit, you’d probably be pretty upset about it, too. While not everyone reads nutrition labels, you can guarantee that most who will see “300% of daily added sugars” on a label will eventually decide to put that box of fruity-tooty snacks back on the shelf.

General Mills has issued a statement slamming the FDA for siding with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee with their proposal, instead of following the Institute of Medicine (IOM). General Mills conducted a study that showed “only” 66% of shoppers were able to understand the new labels immediately, while 92% understood the old one. Having two thirds of the population see how bad their products are for the first time would be scary, I’m sure.

General Mills also stated that while the FDA used to use scientific evidence and rigorous testing before making label revisions, “It appears that the agency has arbitrarily moved away from that process with these latest proposals. We respectfully ask that the FDA pause and take the time needed for deep, evidenced-based review through the IOM Dietary Reference Intake process.”

Is it too early to ask if General Mills has some friends at the IOM?

Source:

FoodNavigator-USA.com