IOM Report: Food Nutrition Labels Should Be Simple, On Front

Won't make a difference. People already "get it." See here and here.

The food industry should provide simple, clearly-worded nutrition information on the front of food packages, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

The information "should focus on the nutrients most responsible for obesity and chronic diseases: calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium," The New York Times reports. The report, written by a team of health specialists, "is meant to help Congress and the Food and Drug Administration decide what to do about the proliferation of certain labeling practices that food companies and retailers use to promote the nutritional aspects of food products. Many of the methods, often accompanied by checkmarks or snappy logos, have been criticized for trumpeting the beneficial aspects of packaged foods, like vitamins or fiber content, while ignoring less appealing ones, like high sodium or sugar levels. That has led to labels for sugary cereals or salt-laden frozen dinners that indicate they are healthy food choices. The report suggests a package-front label that would essentially do the opposite. It called for the label to emphasize the potentially harmful nutrients in the food product - for example, those that promote obesity, diabetes or heart disease - and exclude information about beneficial nutrients, like fiber or vitamins" (Neuman, 10/13).

What will make a difference is having fat people pay for their diseases of choice.