New Nutrition Info Label

Within the next few months, the front of many food packages will prominently display important nutrition information, including calorie, fat and sugar content. The industrywide program was announced Monday by food makers and grocers in response from to Michelle Obama's campaign against obesity. 
The plan unveiled Monday, called Nutrition Keys, calls for the front of food packages to display a series of icons that show four basic nutrients: calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars.

The Institute of Medicine discouraged including positive nutrients on the label because they might confuse consumers and encourage manufacturers to fortify foods unnecessarily with vitamins or other ingredients.

The industry plan allows manufacturers to display as many as two "nutrients to encourage" on each package, from a list of eight - potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron and protein.

The labeling system was developed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group that represents retailers, who often contract with food makers to create store brands. The groups said their members, which include a vast majority of food manufacturers and retailers, would begin using the new labels in the coming months. In the fall, they plan to begin a $50 million advertising campaign to promote the initiative.

Source: NYTimes