FDA Proposes Adding Sugar Daily Value Percentage To Nutrition Facts Label

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to include the percent daily value for added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods, giving consumers similar information to what they have seen for decades with respect to sodium, fat content and other nutrients.

The percent daily value indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet and would be based on the recommendation that the daily intake of calories from added sugars not exceed 10% of total calories.

The proposed rule, issued on July 24, is a supplement to FDA's March 3, 2014, recommendation on updating the Nutrition Facts label, under which the FDA proposed that food companies include added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label. That rule did not include the declaration of the percent daily value for added sugars.

The current label requires the percent daily value be listed for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, calcium and iron.

The FDA is also proposing to change the current footnote on the Nutrition Facts label to help consumers understand the percent daily value concept. The proposed statement on the label would be shorter than the current footnote to allow for more space on the label, stating: *The percent daily value (%DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.