Package food stocks are under modest selling pressure on Tuesday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new rule requiring a nutrition label on the front of packaging to more easily inform consumers of the saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars of a product.
“It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that. We are fully committed to pulling all the levers available to the FDA to make nutrition information readily accessible as part of our efforts to promote public health,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.
Added FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones, “it’s possible we’ll see manufacturers reformulate products to be healthier in response to front-of-package nutrition.”
The initiative is part of the agency’s efforts to address the nation’s chronic disease crisis and soaring health care costs at a time when President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services promises to “Make America Healthy Again.” As the potential head of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an advocate for healthy eating, and for the eradication of harmful food coloring and additives, would also lead the FDA.
Under the current initiative, the front-of-package nutrition label would provide information on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in a simple format showing whether the food has “Low,” “Med,” or “High” levels of these nutrients.
If approved, the rule would require food manufacturers with $10M or more in annual sale to add a front-of-package nutrition Info box to most packaged food products within three years of the rule’s effective date, and within four years for businesses with less than $10M in annual food sales.
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Related Stocks: Darling Ingredients (DAR), Hormel Foods (HRL), Lamb Weston (LW), J&J Snack Foods (JJSF), J.M. Smucker Co (SJM), Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC), General Mills (GIS), Simply Good Foods (SMPL), Conagra Brands (CAG), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC), Kellanova (K), Campbell’s (CPB), Post Holdings (POST), McCormick (MCK), Flower Foods (FLO), Nomad Foods (NOMD).
