Food and Drug Administration considering product 'warning labels' to help Americans make healthier choices

Food sold in some Latin countries features bold
warning labels. (Adobe Stock photo)

To help Americans improve their diets, the Food and Drug Administration is "considering requiring food manufacturers to put new labels on the front of packages," report Andrea Petersen and Jesse Newman of The Wall Street Journal. "The labels might flag certain health risks, such as high levels of salt, sugar or saturated fat."

With the alarming rise in diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the United States, the FDA is exploring distinctive labeling on the front and back of packaging to help Americans make better nutritional choices. "One label idea the FDA has tested uses red, yellow and green to convey whether products are high, medium or low in added sugar, sodium and saturated fat," the Journal reports. "Other potential labels that the FDA has shared state how much of those substances a product contains per serving."

Food industry leaders indicated that they might sue the FDA should the labeling proposal become a rule, claiming the requirement "poses a threat to First Amendment rights and that only Congress has the authority to require it," the Journal reports. "Such labels could unfairly convey that certain foods are bad to eat, when in fact a candy bar may not be healthy, but consuming it in moderation isn't a problem, lobbyists said." Food industry proponents also insist the current labeling system is sufficient.

"The FDA says it intends to propose a rule on the labeling this summer."

So far, studies have supported the FDA's labeling idea. The Journal reports, "Scientific studies have generally found that front-of-package nutrition labels lead people to identify and choose healthier foods. More countries now require them on food and beverage containers. Others, including France, the U.K. and Australia, have voluntary programs."

In Chile, warning labels are put on products, and the country has seen dietary changes for consumers. According to Petersen and Newman, "After the warning labels were implemented, food manufacturers changed their products, too — by reducing the amount of sodium or sugar."