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Healthy INSIDER Podcast 32: Major Updates to Fiber, Sugar LabelingHealthy INSIDER Podcast 32: Major Updates to Fiber, Sugar Labeling

In May 2016, FDA released its update to the nutrition facts label that mush appear on foods sold in the United States. And with the update, came major changes for the way fiber and sugar will be labeled. In this Health INSIDER Podcast, Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, and Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief of INSIDER, discuss what these changes are and how they affect the food industry.

Sandy Almendarez

January 13, 2017

In May 2016, FDA released its update to the nutrition facts label that mush appear on foods sold in the United States. And with the update, came major changes for the way fiber and sugar will be labeled. In this Health INSIDER Podcast, Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, and Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief of INSIDER, discuss what these changes are and how they affect the food industry. They cover:

  • How FDA will require fiber ingredients to demonstrate a physiological benefit before it can be listed as “fiber” on the nutrition facts panel,

  • The upcoming list of fibers that FDA accepts as showing a physiological benefit (previously, FDA released said these seven fibers can be listed as fiber on the nutrition facts panel: beta-glucan soluble fiber, psyllium husk, cellulose, guar gum, pectin, locust bean gum and hydroxypropylmethcellulose),

  • The change to sugar labeling that requires added sugars to be calculated and noted in the nutrition facts panel.

*Update: Since this podcast recording, FDA announced it would provide additional time to comment on the fiber portion of the Nutrition Facts Label. The comments deadline is now Feb. 13, 2017. The agency said it seeks comments on what specific types of fiber provide a physiological effect that is beneficial to human health and thus should be included in the fiber definition.

This podcast was recorded at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) annual conference in October 2016

Links and Resources:

About the Author(s)

Sandy Almendarez

editor in chief, Informa

Sandy Almendarez entered the natural products industry in 2009 when she joined Virgo Publishing (now Informa Exhibitions) as an assistant editor. Since then, she's worked her way up to editor in chief where she writes, edits and manages content for INSIDER. Under Sandy’s direction, INSIDER has won editorial awards from Folio: every year since 2014, including B2B Editorial Team of the Year in 2015.

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