AARP Hearing Center
Background
Accurate food labeling and advertising: The links between diet and health are well established. Food labeling policies can help ensure that consumers have the nutritional information they need to make healthy food choices. Policies that protect consumers from false labeling and unsubstantiated claims are also important.
Food labeling in restaurants: Americans consume about one-third of their calories in restaurants. People typically consume more calories and fat and less valuable nutrients and fiber when they eat out than when they eat at home.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations to disclose the number of calories in standard menu items in 2018. A study from the Economic Research Service using 2022 data found that about half of adults noticed calorie labels on restaurant menus, with men, lower-income households, and rural residents being less likely to report noticing calorie labels.
In order to capitalize on consumers’ interest in improving their diet, many food companies seek to put claims on food labels and in advertisements touting the presence of healthful ingredients such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These claims can be deceptive and misleading when the product in question contains very little of the desirable ingredient or when it is accompanied by other potentially harmful ingredients, such as excessive sugar.
FOOD SAFETY: Policy
FOOD SAFETY: Policy
International programs
As part of ongoing efforts to harmonize international food labeling and safety standards, the U.S. government should not allow domestic requirements to be weakened.
Consistent standards and definitions for food
Federal agencies that oversee food labeling and advertising should adopt consistent standards. Definitions for terms and claims appearing on food labels and in advertisements should also be standardized.
Any future updates to the nutrition label should include consumer research to determine which label revisions would best convey the key messages about caloric and nutrient intake.
Nutrition fact labels should note information about added sugars and the maximum intakes for fat, sodium, and other nutrients.
Easy-to-understand food labels
Food labels should be written in clear, plain, understandable language and printed in legible type size, font, and color. Labels in relevant languages should be made available in communities where a language other than English is often used in retail transactions. States should ensure that shelf labeling (in particular, unit-price labeling) is legible to consumers, including people with poor vision.
The Department of Agriculture should require nutrition labels for all raw meat and poultry.
Pricing
States should enact and enforce laws that require unit-price labeling for foods and drugs.
Enforcement of regulations on misleading and deceptive claims
Federal agencies should take strong action against misleading and deceptive labeling practices and advertisements.
The FDA should reassess the use of qualified health claims and promote activities that help consumers understand the scientific support for any claim allowed on a food label.
When labels and advertisements include healthful ingredients such as whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, they should be required to disclose the actual amount of those ingredients per serving.
Nutritional labeling of restaurant food
There should be reasonable requirements for labeling nutritional values of standard menu offerings in restaurants and similar retail food establishments with multiple outlets.
The federal government should develop a strategy to assure the public that chain restaurants subject to calorie-disclosure requirements use a reasonable method for calculating their nutrient content information. The FDA should regularly disclose whether or not reasonable methods are being used to determine caloric values.