Biden unveils plan for mandatory traffic light nutrition labels on all food and drink

By Liam On Sep 27, 2022

The Biden Administration wants to make traffic light nutrition labels mandatory on the front of food packaging as part of a massive crackdown on the nation’s bulging waistline.

It would see all food and drink sold in stores or supermarkets carry a warning about their salt, fat and sugar content on the front of the product — either in a color-coded or star rating system.

The move would mark a step up from the existing setup which allows processed food companies to only have to put nutritional information on the backs of packaging.

It would aim ‘to help consumers, particularly those with lower nutrition literacy, quickly and easily identify foods that are part of a healthy eating pattern,’ the White House said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will research and propose a standardized front-of-package labeling system.

Biden’s administration also wants to make the criteria stricter for companies who put ‘healthy’ claims on their food packaging, amid fears the current system allows for products that are full of vitamins but also high in sugar.

A senior administration official told reporters on a call the proposals were aimed at ‘shifting our healthcare system away from just treating disease to preventing it’. Other proposals include obesity counseling for those receiving Medicare, and an expansion of the federal program offering families cash for purchasing healthy food.

Biden has pledged to slash the number of Americans suffering from diet-related diseases, such as heart disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes by 2030, though no concrete targets have been set.

More than 300,000 Americans die from weight-related issues every year, estimates suggest. A staggering 40 percent of adults — or 105million people — are classified as obese, while up to 35million have type 2 diabetes.

The proposals have been laid out in the White House’s 44-page National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health report published Monday.

Pictured above are the labels that could be applied to four popular products in the US if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opts for the same traffic light nutrition label system as the UK, where it has been in use for more than a decade. The system flags foods by whether they contain low (green), moderate (orange) or high (red) amounts of fat, sugar and salt. Those that have more green labels may be a healthier option

The move is part of the White House’s plans to tackle America’s growing obesity crisis, with more than 40 percent of adults now classified as obese. The above shows adults classified as obese (blue) and severely obese (green). It is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

It also makes the ambitious target of ending hunger in the U.S. by 2030, including expanding monthly benefits that help low-income Americans buy food.

The White House did not set out how long the FDA would have to develop a nutrition label strategy, and whether it will be put through a consultation.

Current guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) say Americans should not consume more than about 12 teaspoons of sugar a day, up to 2.4 ounces (oz) of fat (68 grams, g) and a teaspoon of salt.

Traffic light nutrition labels slapped on biscuits and crisps DO help people eat healthier, scientists say

Traffic light nutrition labels slapped on the front of biscuits and crisps do work and help people eat healthier, scientists insist.

The colour-coded markers found on the front of pre-made foods are a familiar site in supermarkets and corner shops.

Manufacturers have been urged to adopt front of packaging labels, in an attempt to tackle spiralling obesity rates by flagging products high in saturated fat, sugar and salt.

Countries like the US are yet to put the plan in place, while others such as the UK did it more than a decade ago.

Critics at the time warned it would not work becuase it was too simplistic, with foods containing helpful fats, such as oily fish, falling afoul of the system while others such as diet fizzy drinks got a free pass.

Last year, however, an international analysis found the warnings helped people make healthier choices.

Analysts reviewed 134 studies which measured how effective food packaging health warnings were on encouraging people to make healthier choices.

These studies were undertaken between 1990 and 2021 and were from Europe, Latin America, and North America.

Two of these were traffic-style systems — the UK’s and Nutri-score — which is used in some EU nations, such as France and Germany.

They were found to encourage people to eat healthier, researchers found. But there were some differences.

A traffic light system on food packaging would bring the US in line with the UK, where such a scheme came into force more than a decade ago.

Several studies suggest the color-coded scheme leads to healthier food choices, but there is no concrete evidence on its effect on health.

Under the British traffic light system, red mean the product is high in a nutrient and that you should try to cut down on it, eat less often or even have it in smaller amounts.

Reds mean the product is high in a nutrient and that you should try to cut down on it, eat less often or even have it in smaller amounts.

Amber means medium. If a food contains mostly amber, you can eat it most of the time.

And green means low. The more green lights a label displays, the healthier the food choice is.

Foods and drinks are considered to be high in fat if they contain more than 0.6oz per 3.5oz portion (or 17.5g per 100g).

They are labeled as high in sugar if they have more than 0.8 ounces per portion (22.5g), and as high in salt if they have more than 0.05oz.

Announcing the plan today, Biden said: ‘The consequences of food insecurity and diet-related diseases are significant, far reaching, and disproportionately impact historically underserved communities.

‘Yet, food insecurity and diet-related diseases are largely preventable, if we prioritize the health of the nation.’

The plan also suggests offering obesity counselling to people who receive Medicare — those over 65 years old — and school meals for all.

It also suggested offering another $26 per person per month on average to those who receive support from the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps people to buy healthier food.

Biden is hosting a conference this week on hunger, nutrition and health, the first by the White House since 1969.

That conference, under President Richard Nixon, was a pivotal moment that influenced the U.S. food policy agenda for 50 years.

It led to a greatly expanded food stamps program and gave rise to the Women, Infants and Children program, which serves half the babies born in the U.S. by providing women with parenting advice, breastfeeding support and food assistance.

Over the years, cuts to federal programs coupled with stigmas over welfare and big changes to how food and farming systems are run have prompted declines in access to food.

But the President is hoping this week’s conference is similarly transformative. President Nixon’s goal had been to ‘put an end to hunger in America for all time.’

And yet 10 percent of U.S. households in 2021 suffered food insecurity, meaning they were uncertain they could get enough food to feed themselves or their families because they lacked money or resources for food, according to the FDA.