Fading and Changing Food Labels

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On January 16th, 2025, Food & Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule, requiring front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels on most foods that would normally have a regular nutrition label. This rule follows the passing of the FDA’s new rule, defining what “healthy” means in labeling. “The proposed FOP labels will be a “compact informational box containing certain nutrient information,” regarding the food’s saturated fat, sodium (salt), and added sugar content” (Sklamberg et al.). According to the proposed rule, the FDA has chosen these nutrients, due to their “significance in building healthy dietary patterns.” The FDA has also proposed amending the nutrient content for terms such as low sodium and low saturated fat.

Front-of-package food label (arnoldporter.com)

According to the proposed rule, a food is considered ‘low,’ for a certain nutrient if that nutrient is 5% or less of the daily recommended value (DVI). If it is between 6% and 19% then it is labeled as medium, and 20% or higher is labeled as ‘high.’ The FOP label will be a single, easy-to-read style, aligning with the Nutrition Fact label’s style requirements. The font is black and a minimum font size of at least eight. All the fonts used in the FOP label will be bold or extra-bold, except for the “Per Serving” heading, with the “Nutrition Info” and “% Daily Value” subheading in extra bold. There is no other information allowed on the FOP label. Packaged foods which contain two or more separately packed foods that are intended to be eaten individually, would be able to use an FOP for each of the products contained in the package, so long as they appear together. For foods served in bulk containers, the FOP label would need to be displayed plainly in view of the consumer when it is purchased. 

Conventional Food Labels

Food labels serve as the primary source of information, by which consumers are informed about the products they are purchasing and consuming. However, food labels are not always as clear as they should be. One of the most common ways food labels can be misleading is through vague language. “Terms like “natural”, “organic”, and “free-range” are often used without clear definitions, allowing manufacturers to capitalize on consumer trust without compiling to all standards” (Scottsdale).

An example of this is even if a product is labeled as “natural,” it may contain artificial additives, preservatives, or be highly processed, which gives that consumer false information. “Many products also advertise themselves as “low-fat”, “sugar-free”, “heart-healthy”, “protein-packed”, “clinically proven”, or “doctor recommended”” (Scottsdale). These labels can lead consumers into believing they are making good food choices, even if the product still has other unhealthy ingredients in it. Another example of this, is if a food is labeled as “low-fat,” it may be high in sodium (salt) and/or it may contain large amounts of added sugar. 

Furthermore, serving sizes can be manipulated to make a product healthier than it is, by listing a small serving size with good nutrition values. The consequences of misleading food labels are profound. “Consumers who rely on labels to make informed decisions may end up with diets that are less healthy than they believe” (Scottsdale). This can lead even further to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related health issues. Additionally, misleading labels can break the consumers trust with the food industry, making it difficult for genuinely healthy food brands to survive. The first step to addressing the issue is to have stricter regulations and clearer definitions for terms like “natural” and “organic.” “Second, health claims should be verified and standardized to prevent exaggeration and misinformation” (Scottsdale). Finally, serving sizes should be more realistic and also have guidelines that need to be followed regarding serving sizes, to prevent manipulation and mistrust. 

How to read and understand food labels can be hard, so here is a breakdown of food levels. 

Image of a food label (Image from FDA)

Serving Information

Serving information is labeled in light blue (Image from FDA)

When looking at the Nutrition Facts label, the first thing to look at is the number of servings in the package and the serving size. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods, and they are not a recommendation of how much you should eat or drink. It’s important to realize that all the nutrient amounts shown on the label, including the number of calories, refer to the size of the serving. 

Calories

Calories are labeled in pink (Image from FDA)

This 675 grams package of lettuce has 100 calories (Image taken by Simon Story)

Size comparison between the lettece and twirl bar (Images taken by Simon Story)

 This Twirl bar weighs 21 gram sand has 114 calories (Image taken by Simon Story)

Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food. To achieve or maintain healthy body weight, and balance the number of calories you eat and drink with the number of calories your body uses, 2,000 calories a day is used as a general guide. 

Nutrients

Nutrients is labeled in orange (Image from FDA)

The label shows key nutrients that impact your health. Nutrients that you should get less of, is Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Added Sugars. Total Sugars on the Nutrition Facts label includes sugars that are naturally present in many nutritious foods and beverages, such as the sugar in milk and fruit. Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts label include sugars that are added during the processing of the food, and these include sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. Nutrients that you should get more of include Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.

The Percent Daily Value (%DV)

%DVI is labeled in pink/purple (Image from FDA)

The % Daily Value (%DV) is the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient in a serving of the food. The Daily Values are reference amounts listed in grams, milligrams, or micrograms of nutrients to consume but not exceed each day. The %DV helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient.

All ingredients that the food contains, including primary ingredients, added nutrients, flavors and spices, sweeteners, and additives, all need to be listed on the ingredient label. There are some ingredients that have different names but have the same impact on nutrition. “One example of this is added sugar, which can be found as corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, honey, organic honey, molasses, brown rice sugar, and beet sugar” (“AFPA”). Sodium is added to foods in different forms, which include salt, brine, sea salt, baking soda, monosodium glutamate (MSG). The order in which food is listed on an ingredient list, has the most abundant ingredient (by weight) first and then the rest of the ingredients based on their total weight listed afterwards. “Foods that are excluded from food labeling requirements in the US are: raw fruits, vegetables, fish, fresh eggs, foods served or delivered for immediate consumption, foods served or sold in bulk containers. These must contain an ingredient list on the bulk container or on a card or sign, and foods prepared, processed, and sold onsite by delis, bakeries, or salad bars” (“AFPA”). “Food manufacturing companies that are excluded from having to include nutrition labels are businesses that don’t make more than $500,000 in annual gross sales or that don’t make more than $50,000 annually in just food sales, and businesses that have fewer than 100 full-time employees” (“AFPA”).

Bioengineered food

Bioengineered foods are foods that contain genetic material that has been modified or changed, through certain laboratory techniques and where the modification could not be obtained through natural breeding or found in nature. 

Bioengineered label that will be on products. (Image from Michigan State University)

“Derived from” means that the company has chosen to disclose that they are using highly refined ingredients, that do not contain detectable or notable modified genetic material in the finished product. There is also a Non-GMO Project label, which currently claims to have 3,000 participating brands and is displayed on over 50,000 items. This label says that the product is currently not a GMO member, or it may be on a product that will never contain GMOs.

Non-GMO Project Label (Image from Michigan State University)

Here are the changes that the US is making to their food labels, a breakdown of those nutrition labels, and what bioengineered food, and NON-GMO labels look like, and what they mean.

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Dictionary (merriam-webster)

Capitalize - to convert into capital

Capital - a stock of accumulated goods especially at a specified time and in contrast to income received during a specified period

Advertise - to make the public aware of (something or someone) especially by means of a published or broadcast notice

Manipulated - to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose 

Profound - extending far below the surface

Modified - to make basic or fundamental changes in often to give a new orientation to or to serve a new end

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Works Cited

Goldy, Ron. “New label denoting bioengineered ingredients will soon appear on food items in 2020.” MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4 December 2019, https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/new-food-label-denoting-bioengineered-ingredients. Accessed 26 September 2025.

“How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.” FDA, 5 March 2024, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label. Accessed 26 September 2025.

“Misleading Food Labels: A Recipe for Confusion | Scottsdale.” Scottsdale Weight Loss Center, https://www.scottsdaleweightloss.com/blog/misleading-food-labels-a-recipe-for-confusion/. Accessed 25 September 2025.

Sklamberg, Howard, et al. “FDA’s Proposed Front-of-Package Nutrition Label Rule Reinforces Government Focus on Nutrition | Advisories.” Arnold & Porter, 16 January 2025, https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/perspectives/advisories/2025/01/fda-proposed-front-of-package-nutrition-label-rule. Accessed 25 September 2025.

“Understanding Food Labels and Ingredient Lists: FAQs and Do's and Don'ts.” AFPA, 20 January 2023, https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/understanding-food-labels-and-ingredient-lists-faqs-and-dos-and-donts/. Accessed 26 September 2025.

USDA. “BE Consumer Fact Sheet.” Agricultural Marketing Service, https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/BE_Consumer.pdf. Accessed 26 September 2025.

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Simon Story is a 11th grader at Poudre High School, and this is his first year with the Poudre Press. The column he is working on is about war. He is not currently involved in any school activities, but he has interests in filming, video games, and reading. Some of his plans for post-graduation are either going into a trade, or doing something in the food industry, or in IT.