The government proposed that the Nutrition Facts label should say what percentage an item would provide of the recommended daily amount of added sugar to the diet. Like other health authorities, the FDA says added sugars should be limited to no more than 10 percent of total calories. The World Health Organization, for example, recommended in March that adults and children reduce added sugars to less than 10 percent of their daily diet. “A further reduction to below 5 percent, or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits,” said WHO.
When it began the update of the two-decades-old Nutrition Fact label more than a year ago, the FDA proposed adding a new line that would specify how many grams of added sugar were in a food or beverage. Its supplemental proposal would convert the grams into a percentage of the daily value. “The percent daily value … would help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families,” the agency said. It said new studies suggest “healthy dietary patterns, including lower amounts of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, are strongly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.” The label appears on all food and beverage packages.
The FDA said it would accept public comment on the proposal for 75 days. The Sugar Alliance said the agency relied on “limited and weak scientific evidence” in making its “misguided recommendation,” according to the Washington Post. Other food industry groups have opposed the listing of added sugars. The Post said the FDA’s proposal on added sugars equaled an intake of 50 grams for an adult. “Therefore, a person who consumes a 20-ounce sugary drink might now see on the label that it contains 66 grams of sugar – or 132 percent of the daily value.”