Study: Chile’s strict food marketing and labeling laws did not spur lasting drop in childhood obesity
Chile’s groundbreaking nutrition regulations, which prohibit food companies from marketing unhealthy foods to kids and require stop-sign-shaped labels on sugary, salty, and fatty foods, did not reduce obesity rates among elementary and high school students in a lasting way, according to a new study.
Two goals for Califf: front-of-package labels and defining ‘healthy’
During a wide-ranging webinar, FDA commissioner Robert Califf listed two "very clear" goals for the agency this year — completion of regulations for front-of-package nutrition labels and writing a new definition of which foods can be labeled healthy. "It still amazes me that some people think [front of package labeling] is a bad idea," he said.
Red light, green light: France rolls out color codes for food labels
French shoppers will be able to tell at a glance if food products are healthy or not under a voluntary "Nutri Score" color code for food products, ranging from a dark green "A," for the best foods, to a red "E," for the worst, says Euractiv. The ministries of health, agriculture and economy jointly introduced the plan, saying it would allow nutritional value to be weighed as easily as price at the grocery store.
Does gum acacia count as fiber? The FDA will soon decide.
The FDA is assessing whether 26 ingredients count as fiber on nutrition facts labels. “If you're a nutrition-label reader, the list includes some familiar-ish sounding ingredients — such as inulin, which is often sourced from chicory root,” says NPR. “Other ingredients on the 'do-these-count-as-fiber?' list include gum acacia, bamboo fiber, retrograded corn starch, and — get ready for the tongue-twister — xylooligosaccharides. Some of these fibers are extracted from plant sources, while others are synthetic.”
FDA delay of Nutrition Facts update is too long, says key senator
The Democratic leader on the Senate Health Committee wrote FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb to complain of an unreasonable delay in updating the Nutrition Facts label that appears on every package of food.
Dietary guidelines need an update, says study that questions fat, carb advice
A major global study of 135,000 people in 18 countries around the world says moderate consumption of fat, fruits and vegetables and avoidance of high carbohydrate intake is associated with a lower risk of death – results that are contrary to popular belief about fat. "Global dietary guidelines should be reconsidered in light of these findings," say the researchers in the study published in the journal The Lancet.
Americans still have a sweet tooth for sweeteners
On average, Americans consume nearly twice as much sugar and sweeteners as recommended, says a USDA economist in comparing food consumption data with the current edition of the Dietary Guidelines. "While the American diet has improved in some ways, many people still fall short of targets for some food groups and over-indulge in others," says the analysis in USDA's Amber Waves magazine.
FDA delays compliance date for new Nutrition Facts label
The Food and Drug Administration decided foodmakers need more time to put the updated Nutrition Facts label on their packages and said it will allow additional time beyond the July 28, 2018, deadline set two years ago. The new deadline will be announced later, said the agency, to the applause of the food industry and the dismay of consumer groups.