Industry-Backed Nutrition Labels List Pluses Along with Minuses

At a glance, you can learn a lot about the groceries you buy from the new industry-sponsored labels that should soon begin appearing on packages. The front-of-package Nutrition Keys labels will prominently display calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving.But nutrition experts and government officials hope you wont be misled by the additional labeling of up to two of eight nutrients to encourage: potassium, fiber, calcium, iron, protein and vitamins A, C and D. Most people already get more than enough protein, for example, making that a poor excuse for consuming extra calories. And the presence of calcium doesnt make ice cream a healthy choice.The Nutrition Keys labels, soon to be backed by a $50 million promotional campaign, dont replace the familiar Nutrition Facts labels on the back of packages, which have been required by law since 1994. But pressure has been building to supplement that labeling with a simpler system consumers can grasp with a glance at supermarket shelves. Many nutrition experts advocate something like the British stoplight labeling, which puts a red stop icon on unhealthy foods and a green go on nutritious choices.An expert panel of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which sets dietary levels for nutrients, has been studying Industry-Backed Nutrition Labels List Pluses Along with Minuses package-front labeling and is expected to issue its recommendations later this year. In October, the panel published a preliminary report stating that positive nutrients such as vitamins, fiber and protein should not be included.Leading food companies abandoned their own earlier nutrition-labeling program, called SmartChoices, in 2009 under heavy criticism for its use of positive labeling-an example of how labeling systems can be fraught with peril when the industry selling the food is also scoring it.

Since then, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute have been working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Obama administration to develop new package-front labels. When those talks stalled, the industry groups went their own way and launched Nutrition Keys.The core issue here is the extent to which the purpose of the label is to scare people away from using the product versus something that helps educate people about whats in it, commented Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter editor Irwin H Rosenberg, MD, who recently chaired another IOM panel on nutrient labeling. The long-range push-pull is really about how to inform consumers and strike a balance between why to avoid something and why to buy it.Industry leaders repeatedly invoked efforts by First Lady Michelle Obama to promote healthier eating as an inspiration for the new labeling. But the First Lady declined to endorse the initiative, which received only lukewarm approval from the White House. Calling Nutrition Keys a significant first step, an administration statement said the White House would look forward to future improvement in the package-front labeling. The FDA, it added, will monitor to evaluate whether the new label is meeting the needs of American consumers.The FDA is expected to issue its own voluntary guidelines for package-front nutrition labeling, which could pressure the industry to alter its packaging again. An FDA spokesperson said the agency commends the industry for this initiative. But the spokesperson added that the FDA remained concerned that the inclusion of positive nutrients might clutter packages and lead consumers to infer that a product with relatively few nutritional benefits is healthy.David Kessler, MD, the former FDA commissioner who oversaw development of the Nutrition Facts labels, commented, The problem with it is they can mask a food high in fat, sugar and salt and make it look better than it really is. This is a missed opportunity. The failure of the industry to come together with the administration and public health groups will only add to the existing confusion about what we should be eating. (See our interview with Dr. Kessler about the overeating epidemic in the August 2009 issue.)These issues have been part of the discussion since the beginning of nutrition labeling, Dr. Rosenberg added, and this battle is going to continue.