FDA proposes restaurants voluntarily disclose added sugars content

“The Food and Drug Administration is encouraging restaurants to voluntarily include added sugars in the nutritional information on menus. In draft guidance issued Wednesday, the agency said when it finalized the menu labeling rule in 2014, the additional written nutrition information was aligned with the nutrition information required in the Nutrition Facts Label. In 2016, FDA amended the Nutrition Facts Label to include “added sugars” as a required nutrient but didn’t insert added sugars in the menu labeling requirements. “Including the amount of added sugars for standard menu items could help consumers meet current dietary recommendations,” the draft guidance says. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day.

Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, said while the Sugar Association supports transparency for all ingredients, including sugar and artificial sweeteners as well as calories, “the draft guidance for voluntary menu labeling continues an overly narrow focus on added sugars despite a lack of evidence indicating that such a focus improves dietary patterns or health outcomes.” Gaine said added sugars consumption has gone down by 30% since 2000; at the same time, obesity in children increased by 45% and in adults by 37%.”

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