Nutrition labels may soon appear in the front of packages, in an effort to make it easier to buy healthier food and tackle chronic disease in the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration sent a proposal on Nov. 21 to the White House that would require nutrition labels for "certain nutrition information" to be on the front of packages, according to an Office of Management and Budget filing.
The details of the proposal aren't disclosed in the filing, but the FDA has previously said the rule "would require the front of food labels to display certain nutrition information to help consumers, including those who are busy and those with lower nutrition knowledge, make more informed dietary choices."
"This proposed rule is being developed as part of a broader, whole-of-government approach to help reduce the burden of chronic disease and advance health equity by helping to improve dietary patterns in the United States," the FDA said.
How would front-of-package nutrition labels work?
The rule is expected to "include evidence-based labels that are mandatory and identify when foods are “High” in nutrients linked to chronic disease," said Dr. Peter G. Lurie, president of nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Next steps involve the White House's Office of Management and Budget publishing the proposal for public comment.
The rule may find favor among the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again movement.
"If the Make America Healthy Again movement is serious about reducing chronic, diet-related disease in this country, it should quickly embrace the promise of mandatory, interpretive front-of-package nutrition labels," Lurie said.
Sixteen countries, including Germany, France and Spain, already have front-of-package nutrition labeling, Lurie said.
"The most important thing we can do to reduce diet-related chronic disease is to encourage consumers to consume fewer products with excess sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat," Lurie said.