Are Added
Sugars Dangerous? WHY THE FDA'S NEW RULE IS CONTROVERSIAL
By Andrea Hayley Epoch Times Staff
onsumers have just scored a major victory against the sugar lobby, one that has the potential to reverse decades of debilitating chronic disease trends. For the first time ever, the FDA will require processed food manufacturers to inform consumers how much sugar has been added to their food.
The position of most food manufacturers all along has been that a lack of exercise and overconsumption is to blame for our ill health. and C, since most people don’t have trouble getting enough of these in their diet. Serving sizes will also change to reflect what people actually eat in one sitting, and the numbers of calories will be displayed in a larger font size. The changes will go into effect for most manufacturers in mid-2018. It is estimated that 85 percent of processed foods contain added sugar, and it is a fact that Americans consume way more of it than what is considered healthy by most health professionals. Lauren Kotwicki, press officer for the FDA, said in an email, “There is strong and consistent evidence that healthy dietary patterns are characterized, in part, by lower intakes of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.” She added that with the previous label, consumers could not tell how much added sugar was in a product, since the line item for sugar did not differentiate between naturally occurring and added sugars. Under the new rules, a 20-ounce bottle of coke would be listed as 130 percent of the recommended daily allowance of added sugars, according to The Associated Press.
The change is part of an overhaul of the ubiquitous Nutrition Facts label, the place where information such as calories, number of servings, and percentage of daily recommended amounts is listed on an estimated 800,000 packaged foods items. The new line item for added sugar will allow consumers to see what has long been hidden from public view: that copious amounts of refined sugars are lurking in their salad dressings, beverages, condiments, and frozen dinner entrees. Some of the other changes include the addition of line items for vitamin D and potassium, since these are key nutrients needed for bone and heart health, and the removal of vitamins A
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B1 June 3–9, 2016