President Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, says he might delay the debut of the updated Nutrition Facts label, now set for July 2018. For the first time, the label would list how many grams of sugar are added to foods during processing, said Food Navigator. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts asked Gottlieb to consider a delay on grounds FDA has not finalized its “guidance” documents on dietary fiber and added sugar.
Roberts said food companies would spend money on packaging to introduce the redesigned Nutrition Facts label, which appears on 800,000 products, and then change packaging again when USDA completes work on rules that require disclosure of genetically modified ingredients in food.
Gottlieb responded to Roberts’ question if he would consider a delay in the Nutrition Facts label by saying he was “philosphically in favor of trying to make sure we do these things efficiently” because of the cost on foodmakers “but we also have to keep in mind it creates confusion for consumers if the labels are constantly changing,” said Food Navigator.
The update to the Nutrition Facts label would be the first in two decades. When she unveiled it last May, then-First Lady Michelle Obama said it would “make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices.”