Both Studies Show Consumer Confusion on Added Sugars Labeling
On July24, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an update to its proposal to revise the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP). The proposal now includes a per cent DV for added sugars.
While designing and commissioning independent research, IFIC Foundation used FDA protocols to inform its survey, specifically, the nutrition profiles of labels and product types shown to consumers to test their understanding of these labels. One of the main concerns of the added sugars labelling discussion is understanding how labeling “Added Sugars” might affect the consumer’s ability to correctly identify the total amount of sugars in a product.
“A key question to answer in our consumer research is whether or not an “Added Sugars” declaration on the NFP provides clear information that is well understood by consumers that would be used appropriately in efforts to make informed dietary choices,” said co-author Kris Sollid, RD, IFIC Director of Nutrients Communications. “The short (and sweet) answer…providing added sugars information significantly decreases the ability for consumers to accurately identify the total amount of sugars in a product.”
According to the data, 92 per cent of consumers were able to identify the total amount of sugars in a product where “Sugars” are listed and “Added Sugars” are not. When viewing labels with added sugars information in FDA’s proposed format, 55 per cent were correct.
The FDA’s study has also shown that respondents were more accurate in identifying the grams of sugars per serving using the current label compared to the proposed label (81 per cent vs. 65 per cent). They also found respondents were more accurate in identifying the grams of sugars per container using the current label compared to the proposed label (54% vs. 36%).
IFIC Foundation research findings are published online as an Article in Press by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
