Sugar Association Quick Issue Update
Chris Hogan Vice President of Communications 35th Annual Sweetener Symposium Traverse City August 6-8, 2018 FDA’s New Food Label The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s New Food Label
• Released May 20, 2016
• Implementation date: January 2020 (an 18 month extension)
• Based on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines
• Daily Value of 10% based on 50g (adults) and 25g (children <4yrs)
• Serving size for sugar was also increased from 1tsp (4 grams) to 2 tsp (8 grams)
Added Sugars Labeling
1. Get an exemption for sugar packaged as a single ingredient – zero added sugars declared 2. Sugar is treated similarly to honey and maple syrup, ideally an exemption for all products and, at the very least, sugar should get the disclaimer that honey/maple are getting
2018 so far…
• Conducted Research: consumer understanding of and reaction to FDA’s added sugars labeling
• Submitted Letter: Sen. Daines sent a letter to Commissioner Gottlieb requesting FDA exempt sugar from the added sugars declaration and urging sugar be handled the same way as honey and maple syrup
• Comments Submitted: to FDA and key FDA staff copied directly
• Third‐Party Letter Campaign: coordinated letters from 9 beet and cane Co‐op chairmen to FDA and 11 members of Congress with jurisdiction
• Educational Collateral: created a fact sheet illustrated with label examples and specific findings from the consumer testing, submitted to FDA with our comments
• Press Release: issued with fact sheet, posted to the SAI website, and shared on SAI social media channels Nutrition Facts Label: Consumer Research
• SAI conducted consumer research to determine how consumers would react to FDA’s new label, including the possible honey/maple syrup disclaimer box. • Also tested alternative label formats that represent sugar differently • Used data to support SAI’s official comments when we responded to FDA comment period
Proposed label for honey Key Takeaways
• Majority of consumers believe that added sugars are included in sugar with FDA’s new label • Consumers believe the FDAs recommended label does not represent a pure product, as well as the label with the disclaimer • 70% of respondents said the label reflecting 0 grams of added sugar best conveys 8 grams of sugar • 90% of consumers believe the label reflecting 0 grams of added sugar best conveys a pure product • When shown the honey, maple syrup and sugar FDA label, 69% said they do NOT reflect products that are equally pure
New Sugar.org Website Chris Hogan Vice President of Communications
Office: 202.785.1122 x140 Cell: 202.868.0604 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.Sugar.org Facebook: @TheSugarAssociation Twitter: @MoreToSugar_