Putting Added Sugars Into Context for Consumers

Posted on July 24, 2015 by FDA Voice

By: Susan Mayne, Ph.D.

For two decades, consumers have been able to check the Nutrition Facts label to understand not only how much saturated fat, dietary fiber and sodium is in any given food, but how that amount fits in the context of their daily diet. Today, FDA proposes a supplemental rule that would provide consumers with access to that same information for added sugars. This would fill a gap by providing the same valuable content already available to consumers for other nutrients.

In March 2014, FDA proposed to include the amount of added sugars in grams on the Nutrition Facts label but without the percent Daily Value, and we continue to review comments on this proposed rule. Now, in addition, we are proposing to include on the Nutrition Facts label the percent Daily Value (% DV) for added sugars and are accepting comments on this additional provision.

Why propose providing this additional information to consumers? Scientific data shows that it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie requirements if you consume more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from added sugar. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), whose recommendations inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the foundation for national nutrition programs, standards and education, used the same data in the analysis for their recommendations earlier this year.

FDA considered the evidence and determined that it supports setting a Daily Value for added sugars. The Daily Value, which is used to calculate the percent Daily Value that consumers see on the Nutrition Facts label, would be 50 grams of added sugars for adults and children 4 years of age and older and 25 grams for children 1 through 3 years.

FDA’s initial proposal to include the amount of added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label is now further supported by newly reviewed studies suggesting healthy dietary patterns, including lower amounts of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, are strongly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Consumers can still choose foods that have added sugars as part of a healthy diet, but the proposed Daily Value would provide a benchmark for intake. Without information like this about a nutrient, it’s hard to know if you’re eating too much or too little in a given day. For example, a consumer who drinks a 20-ounce sugared beverage may be surprised to know it contains about 66 grams of added sugar, which would be listed on the label as 132 percent of the Daily Value.

We know that consumers may need some help getting used to this new information. Coming to FDA from outside of government with a background in public health nutrition, I have a great appreciation for the need to educate people to use the information we provide to them. I look forward to working with the nutrition community in this effort.

Susan Mayne, Ph.D., is FDA’s Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition