America’s food and beverage manufacturers and retailers have joined forces to develop and implement the Nutrition Keys initiative, an unprecedented voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling system that provides nutrition information on the front of food and beverage packages, including calories and three “nutrients to limit.†The program represents the most significant modernization of food labels since the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.
Companies will begin to place the icon on their products in 2011 according to seasonality and production schedules. Consumers will begin to see the Nutrition Keys icon on their favorite products in the next few months, and the number of products that carry the icon will continue to grow throughout the year.
Nutrition Keys is a fact-based approach that summarizes important nutrition information from the Nutrition Facts Panel in a clear, simple and easy-to-use format on the front of food and beverage packages. The new icon and label changes adhere to current U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines and regulations, ensuring that consumers receive consistent and reliable information. The icon will inform consumers about how the key nutrients in each product fit into a balanced and healthy diet as part of the federal government’s daily dietary advice.
The four basic icons, for calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars, represent key nutrients for which dietary guidance recommends limiting consumption. The four basic icons are always presented together as a consistent set:
On small food packages, one icon may be used, representing calories in a serving of the food. This is an option for food manufacturers, recognizing that small food packages may not have enough space to accommodate the four Basic Icons. This labeling system will complement the Clear on Calories labeling system developed by the American Beverage Association.
As an option, certain labels could include “nutrients to encourage†– nutrients needed to build a “nutrient-dense†diet. In addition to the basic four icons, packages may include up to two “nutrients to encourageâ€: potassium, fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium and iron. All of these are either shortfall nutrients or are required to be on the nutrition facts panel. These “nutrients to encourage†can only be placed on a package if the product has more than 10 percent of the daily value per serving of the nutrient and meets the FDA requirements for a “good source†nutrient content claim.
