Developing the "Nutrition Facts" Food Label

The development of the “Nutrition Facts” label, which is required on virtually every processed food item sold anywhere in the United States, is, from the perspective of both industry and the American consumer, one of the most ambitious public health initiatives ever undertaken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By providing consumers with information to make healthier food choices, the label was designed to help Americans reduce their risk of health problems associated with diet. An estimated 300,000 preventable deaths per year are related to diet.1 In a regulatory impact analysis conducted when the final rules were issued in 1993, the FDA estimated that the label might save as much as $26 billion in healthcare costs over the next 20 years.2 This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Nutrition Facts label. Over the past decade, nutrition and the role of diet in disease have assumed a more prominent place in public health discussions. At the same time, obesity has become increasingly widespread and is projected to surpass tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death.3 These and other developments have generated interest in updating the existing Nutrition Facts label. While debate about the need for and the nature of