USA Labelling System Updated to Promote Healthy Diets

The USA is having an overhaul of its food labelling system after pushes from health advocates.
The new system will have information on added sugar, prominent displays of calorie counts, and updated portion sizes.
This will hopefully allow people to take even more control of their diet in the face of the Western World’s obesity crisis.
This shows the changing state of mind that is leading people to be interested in what they are putting into their bodies and the health benefits they can get by following a balanced diet.
Major changes include companies having to specify the difference between naturally occurring sugars in their products and sugar that they have added artificially for taste.
Paul Bakus, US president of corporate affairs at Nestlé said that they “recognised the importance of providing clear information that helped consumers make healthier choices about their diet and welcome efforts to help advance that cause.”
Unfortunately, forecasts indicate that the label remodelling will cost companies $2bn, and will affect over 700,000 products. However, the Grocery Manufacturers Association has welcomed these changes, stating that the current labelling system is outdated as “consumer preferences have changed dramatically” since they were introduced.