Added sugar label proposed by FDA to mixed results

As reported by this blog, many consumers are beginning to demand more concise and clear information from the custom labels on their food products. While Californians may be debating over whether genetically modified foods should be labeled as such, there are many facets to the recent rise in nutritional consciousness.

According to the Los Angeles Times, many food processors and manufacturers are up in arms over the Food and Drug Administration proposal to include an “added sugar” section to a product’s nutrition labels.

While this may comply with the current war against sugar, spearheaded by New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg who is attempting to ban large, sugary drinks from most of the city. But, major producers such as the National Dairy Council, National Milk Producers Federation, The Sugar Association and many more say that adding another section to the label would only cause consumer confusion. In addition, they say, consumers can already see how much sugar is added to the product on the current nutritional facts label.

Quoting Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of clinical pediatrics at UC San Francisco, another LA Times article cites that the 77 grams of sugar the average American consumes that is added to food in addition to its natural sugars is the catalyst for “metabolic syndrome” – a health condition involving high blood sugar, high blood pressure and decreased sensitivity to insulin.

Whether it’s the controversy of trans fats, added salt or sugars, it’s clear that consumers aren’t just demanding healthier foods but more clearly marked and transparent custom labels from their food products. If other producers or manufacturers want to supply this growing demand, they may want to invest in a Primera LX900 color label printer to create these informative custom labels.