852 - The FDA’s Proposed Food Labeling Changes

Public Health On Call

About this episode:

The FDA is responsible for labeling on food packaging, such as the ubiquitous black and white nutrition label. But consumers could soon see new labels on foods offering more information about nutrition in key areas like sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. In today’s episode: the FDA’s proposed changes for food labeling and new standards for using the term “healthy” in everything from product names to descriptions and marketing.

Guest:

Dr. Peter Lurie is the president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and a former Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

Show links and related content:

• FDA Issues Proposed Rule on Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling—FDA

• Use of the Term Healthy on Food Labeling—FDA

• FDA Proposes New Food Labels to Detail Sugar, Fat, and Salt Levels—The New York Times

• Who can say it’s healthy? The FDA has a new definition for food labels—NPR