What do New Nutrition Labels Mean for Food Grade Plastic Bags?

The first overhaul to Nutrition Labels in two decades are expected to hit shelves- so what do you know about these changes and what does it mean for your food grade custom plastic bags? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the proposed update to Nutrition Labels is meant “to reflect new public health and scientific information, including evidence on nutrition, obesity and chronic disease.” These changes are intended to provide transparency to consumers so they understand how many calories are in what they already are eating and to better understand serving sizes based on actual consumption.

There are additional proposals to update nutrients required or permitted on labels; this would impact the labeling of fats, added sugars, fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Some of the bigger proposed modifications include “Calories from Fat”- which would no longer be allowed, as the FDA explains that it does not matter the amount but the type of fat. Additionally, there will be another labeling under “Sugar” to display the “Added Sugars.”

Serving sizes are also supposed to undergo a big change, as the FDA’s proposal would also include redefining a single-serving container. As the FDA defines it, “serving sizes must be based on amounts of food and drink that people customarily consume, not on what people should be eating.” According to their research, people are generally eating more than 20 years ago and the current serving sizes, calories counts, and nutrients that go along with these products are severely out of date. AsPackaging Digest helps explain, the FDA is asking food manufacturers to update these serving sizes to make them more realistic to what today’s consumers eat and drink. For example, a package that would generally be consumed in one sitting would be revised to be considered a “single serving” and the nutritional information would reflect the contents of the entire package. On the other hand, larger packaged foods would have information for both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutritional information.

Your plastic bag manufacturer is here to help in regards to understanding and anticipating these changes. If you are looking for an experienced plastic bag manufacturer to take over your packaging, contact us for a consultation. We will work with you in order for your custom food grade plastic bags to meet new FDA regulations.