Studying nutrition symbols
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA proposes an "experimental study" on the effectiveness of front-of-package nutrition symbols on food products. According to a June 1 Federal Register 1notice, a contractor will survey 2,400 adults' responses to multiple food labels that vary in location and type of symbol. FDA proposed the study to show the level of consumer understanding of select nutrition symbols. Food companies support establishing a standard but voluntary labeling system that uses symbols to indicate the nutrition content of their products, according to remarks at a 2007 public hearing (2"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 17, 2007, p. 7). FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition also solicited comment on the use of nutrition symbols. The deadline for comments on the study proposal is July 31