REUTERS — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed requiring packaged foods to carry a front-of-package nutrition label.
The proposal plays a key role in the agency’s nutrition priorities, which are part of a government-wide effort to fight the nation’s chronic disease crisis.
If finalized, the proposal would give consumers readily visible information about a food’s saturated fat, sodium and added sugars content — the three nutrients directly linked with chronic diseases when consumed in excess.
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The World Health Organization in its draft guidelines in October said packaged food and drinks should have easy-to-read nutritional information on the front of the products to help consumers make healthier choices.