The Food and Drug Administration is likely to propose adding nutrition labels to the front of packaged foods for the first time. The change, expected to be announced in the coming months, would be the latest development in the evolution of consumer-focused nutrition labeling. It comes as cardiovascular disease, a diet-related disease that remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., is on track to become the leading cause of death in the U.S. A new study in the journal Neurology links ultraprocessed foods to negative brain health outcomes.
Many other countries already include versions of this type of labelling on food packaging. In Singapore, for example, beverages carry a nutritional value letter grade, while across Europe, most processed food packaging includes a similar Nutri-Score grade. The grades, from A to F, are meant to alert consumers to the food’s overall nutritional value.
Nutrition labeling is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, having only existed in the iconic black and white panel format for less than three decades. The addition of nutrition facts on the front of the label would mark the first significant change in food labeling in that time.
However, this is not the first time that state and federal governments have tried to influence consumer behavior toward healthier foods. In 2010, Congress passed a law requiring chain restaurants to display nutritional values on their menus, but the results of this change in dietary preferences have been inconclusive. Some local governments have implemented pricing structures that discourage less healthy foods, such as soda taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, but no states currently impose such taxes.
FoodReady reviewed reports from the National Institutes of Health and other historical sources to examine the history of nutrition labeling over the years.
From fresh ingredients from the market to pre-packaged convenience, the American diet is undergoing radical changes
In the early 20th century, there were almost no nutritional labels on food. With so many less processed and packaged foods available, labels were not needed. People often bought raw ingredients fresh from the market and cooked them the same day.
The only food regulations at the time came in the mid-1800s with the creation of the Department of Agriculture. These were limited primarily to rules regarding food handling and processing following several foodborne illness outbreaks. Although canned foods were available in the United States from the late 19th century, they were primarily based on raw materials and were not labeled with nutritional values.
After World War II, the evolution of electric kitchen appliances, including refrigerators and freezers, and the rise of large, all-inclusive supermarkets introduced more women and families to frozen, prepackaged and canned foods and ready-made meals.
In the 1960s, as more women entered the workplace, the need for efficient and convenient family meals increased the demand for prepared foods. As more packaged and processed foods entered the market, consumers began to want more transparency about what they were buying and eating. In 1966, the USDA required companies to include ingredient lists on all products in interstate commerce, the first time ingredient lists were required on packaging.
Misleading claims and growing interest in nutrition prompt consumer call for transparency
While ingredient lists provided consumers with accurate information about what ingredients were in foods on grocery shelves, companies were also adding false or misleading health claims to packaging.
Many claims that foods were heart-healthy or low-fat were not supported by sufficient research or were simply false. To combat these misleading or harmful claims, the FDA implemented a new rule that requires companies that make health claims or add additional nutrients on their packaging to include the product’s nutritional information.
The rise of these claims coincided with a growing interest in diet and nutrition, which gained momentum with the hippie-driven health-eating craze of the ’70s and continued to grow throughout the ’80s. Consumers increasingly demanded more nutritional information.
Part of this new interest in the connection between food and health came from the first “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” published in 1980. These guidelines included tips such as “Eat a variety of foods” and “Maintain your ideal weight.” Later in the decade, more detailed reports and guidance on nutrition from the surgeon general and the National Research Council were published, increasing general awareness and curiosity about food and diet. The reports linked certain components of food, such as trans and saturated fats, to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
Labels become more detailed as focus shifts towards data and diet awareness
In 1990, Congress authorized the FDA to require consistent food labeling on packaged foods under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. The new law also required that labels be in the context of a daily diet and that serving sizes reflect typical serving sizes. In addition to the number of calories, the label also had to include the amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals.
Over the next few years, the FDA made new rules and determinations based on emerging data and studies on various nutritional questions. Total trans fats were added to a separate line on labels after it was discovered that they affected low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly called “bad” cholesterol. The decision was made to list total sugars rather than a separate line for added sugars because the body does not distinguish between naturally occurring sugars in fruits and added sugars.
Currently, nutrition labels include most of these features, but serving size has been bolded and there’s now a separate line for added sugars, among other minor changes. As an educational tool for consumers and a guide for the food industry, nutrition labels have proven somewhat effective: A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the labeling led consumers to reduce their intake of certain ingredients and ingredients, including trans fats and high sodium levels.
How much the FDA’s potential new front-of-package labeling will affect American food consumer habits remains to be seen.
Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Text editing by Kristen Wegrzyn.
This story originally appeared on FoodReady and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.