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Added sugars can come directly from added sucrose but can also be contributed by syrups, honey, and fruit or vegetable juice concentrates. Consuming too many added sugars can make it difficult for an individual to meet their other daily nutritional goals while staying within their recommended calorie limits. The final change was to include the declaration of added sugars, Vitamin D, and potassium. A good rule of thumb to follow here is 5% DV or less per serving is considered low and 20% DV or more per serving is considered high. For example, the recommended daily intake for fiber was increased from 25 to 28 grams, and sodium was decreased from 2,400 to 2,300 milligrams. Some nutrients were adjusted to keep up with new nutrition guidelines from the medical community. The third update was to the recommended daily values. This makes it easy to locate and draws the consumer’s attention to this important piece of nutrition information. The second change is total calories are displayed in a larger, bolder font. The facts panel will now reflect the bag as one serving and eliminate the need for the consumer to calculate for the whole bag. For example, a large bag of chips in a vending machine used to contain 2-3 servings even though a consumer would typically eat the whole bag. Additionally the FDA updated the serving size of some foods to reflect actual American diets, even if that is not the recommended amount of how much to eat. The first is the serving size is now larger and presented in bold font. This is the first major change to the nutrition facts panel in over 20 years, and there are four main differences. The FDA has also passed new regulations surrounding the nutrition facts panel to empower consumers to make better-informed decisions in the grocery aisles. If stored properly, these products can continue to be consumed even after this date has passed.Īccording to the FDA, “Between consumers and the food industry, Americans are throwing out about one third of our food – about $161 billion worth each year” This term will be used on packaged foods where the date is related to optimal food quality and not safety. In an effort to bring clarity to the consumer, the FDA is working in conjunction with the food industry to standardize the use of the term “best if used by”. It is easy to understand the confusion when consumers see many different terms used by manufacturers including use by, best by, or expires on. It is believed that the uncertainty about the meaning of the dates listed on food packaging contributes to 20% of this waste. According to the FDA, “Between consumers and the food industry, Americans are throwing out about one third of our food – about $161 billion worth each year”. These conversations usually lead to questions about best by and use by dates on packaging.
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