NEW YORK — Some of the nutrition information listed in government-mandated food labels will be repeated on package fronts under a new system that foodmakers and grocery stores are introducing.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute on Monday announced the industry’s voluntary new “Nutrition Keys” labels, which will list calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars per serving.
The labels replace a program the industry launched and canceled in 2009 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said was misleading. It was called “Smart Choices” and included a green check mark on foods that met some nutrition requirements set by the industry.
Most U.S. foodmakers and sellers are backing “Nutrition Keys,” which the industry is launching with a $50 million marketing campaign.
Campbell Soup Co. said in a statement that it plans to add the labels to “appropriately sized packages” of beverages, baked snacks and meals this year and next.
Most foodmakers will add the labels to most of their packaging by the end of this year but also keep the mandatory black-and-white labels on package backs.
The labeling system includes ways for foodmakers to list ingredients to emphasize and those to limit.
Industry representatives said the new labels are a response to a request first lady Michelle Obama made in March in her effort to fight childhood obesity.
The labels met some criticism, however.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit advocacy group, said that they could be confusing and that consumers are likely to ignore them.
“It’s unfortunate the industry wouldn’t adopt a more effective system or simply wait until the Food and Drug Administration developed a system that would be as useful to consumers as possible,” the group said in a statement.
