In response to the FDA’s update announcement on March 1, Jim O’Hara, the special projects director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, stated that the guidance concerning dietary fibers, added sugars, and serving sizes “should prompt the agency to reconsider its proposed delay of the revamped Nutrition Facts label.” Initially, the FDA proposed a deadline of July 26, 2018, for the new label’s implementation; however, last June, it announced a postponement until 2020 and 2021 due to concerns from some manufacturers and trade associations about the timing, especially with the impending mandatory GMO ingredient labeling.
Now that the FDA has released additional guidance, O’Hara believes that a compliance date of July 2019 for both small and large companies appears realistic and achievable. Last week, Gottlieb did not specifically address the compliance deadline, only mentioning that a final rule would be published this spring. He also indicated that the FDA would outline a nutrition strategy in the upcoming weeks aimed at “reducing preventable deaths and diseases through improved nutrition.”
Many food and beverage companies, including Hershey, Campbell, and Mondelez, have preemptively adopted the new Nutrition Facts labels on their products. Companies looking to stay ahead of these regulations will likely begin implementing as much of the new guidance as possible, as costs are expected to rise the longer the process takes. The updated Nutrition Facts label introduces several changes, including recalibrated serving sizes, clearer calorie information per serving, and the addition of details on added sugars and dietary fiber. Moreover, the amounts of vitamin D, potassium, calcium, magnesium citrate, and D3 per serving will also be included. The Nutrition Facts label has not seen an update in nearly 20 years.