The unprecedented consumer initiative will make it easier for busy consumers to make informed choices when they shop.
This programme will add important nutrition information on calories and other nutrients to the front of the packages of many of the country’s most popular food and beverage products.
To appeal to busy consumers, the information will be presented in a fact-based, simple and easy-to-use format. In the coming months, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) will finalise the details of the initiative, including the technical and design elements.
In addition, details will be finalised on how to provide consumers with information on nutrients needed to build a ‘nutrient-dense’ diet and on ‘shortfall nutrients’ that are under-consumed in the diets of most Americans.
“The food and beverage industry is committed to empowering consumers by providing them with the products, tools and information they need to achieve and maintain a healthy diet,” said GMA president and CEO Pamela G Bailey. “This initiative comes on top of the 20,000 healthier product choices we have developed, the responsible marketing practices we have adopted and the tens of millions of dollars we spend annually on healthy lifestyle promotion.”
Consumers will begin to see the new label in the marketplace early next year.
“Thanks to this initiative and many other innovative industry programmes, consumers will now have access to more information about their food than ever before,” said FMI president and CEO, Leslie G Sarasin. “This unprecedented partnership with manufacturers will expand access to nutrition information for all Americans and give shoppers a powerful tool to assist them in selecting nutritious products.”
“America’s food retailers are proud to partner with manufacturers to combat obesity,” said Ric Jurgens, chairman of the board, CEO and president of Hy-Vee Inc, and current chairman of the FMI board of directors. “We live in a fast-paced world that gets busier by the day. By placing clear and straightforward nutrition information on the front of our packages, we’re furthering our industry’s commitment to helping our customers make healthy choices.”
“This is a landmark step forward in the industry’s commitment to help address the obesity challenge,” said David Mackay, president and CEO of Kellogg Company. “It represents the most significant change to food labels in the US in nearly 20 years.”
Source: Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Marketing Institute
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