October 8th, 2009 by john 
in Categories: 
Coming to a grocery store near you: The Smart Choices Program. It’s a new front-of-package nutrition labeling system, allowing consumers to easily make better food and beverage choices. You may have already noticed the new labeling on hundreds of products, from soups and sauces to breads and pasta. More than 1,200 products will feature the symbol and calorie indicator, by May 2010.
The program was developed by The Keystone Center, a non-profit organization that specializes in coalition-based public health solutions. According to the Smart Choices Program website, “The Smart Choices Program was motivated by the need for a single, trusted and reliable front-of-pack nutrition labeling program that U.S. food manufacturers and retailers could voluntarily adopt to help guide consumers in making smarter food and beverage choices.”
Products will have to meet certain criteria for nutrients before they can be considered for the program. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have identified nutrients that are consumed in excess quantities by most Americans. These include saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
Nutrients to Limit
| Total Fat | ≤ 35 % of calories |
| Saturated Fat | < 10 % of calories |
| Trans Fat | 0 g (labeled) |
| Cholesterol | ≤ 60 mg per serving |
| Added Sugars | ≤ 25 % of total calories |
| Sodium | ≤ 480 mg per serving |
Nutrients to Encourage
| Calcium, Potassium, Fiber, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E | A food must offer ≥10% Daily Value (a “good source”) of at least one of these nutrients |
| I have been paying more attention to food labeling lately. In particular, calories, carbs and fat. I am looking forward to this new labeling system. It should help in making better food choices. What do think? |
Related Posts:
My name is John.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
that’s a very innovative labeling system, many health conscious people will benefit from it, I hope organizations in our country follow this great idea.
ish´s last blog ..Health Risk on on using a wrong size Bra
Reply
Print Brochures reply on October 8th, 2009 9:16 pm:
Yeah! I agree. Isn’t it a great idea? A good labeling system will really help consumers make a best choice. Thank you for sharing this to us.
Reply
John reply on October 9th, 2009 6:39 am:
Yeah Bro, I think it’s a great idea! It should at least make people think about the nutritional value of the food they are buying.
Reply
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing this with us. I think it will be a great program to help us on choosing a more healthy food choice. I too am paying more attention to my food labels than before. I like to look for serving size, servings per container, calories, total fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars and the vitamins it supplies on a 2,000 calorie diet. I pretty much look at all the information on certain food labels. As I age I am more into my health now.
Reply
John reply on October 13th, 2009 6:53 am:
Hi Robin! I am a label watcher too! Hopefully, this new system should make it that much easier to identify healthy foods.
Reply
Hi John… its my first time here and I like it. In regards to the post, as long as we have a system that works I am all for it.
Reply
John reply on October 9th, 2009 6:43 am:
Thanks for stopping by Shaun and leaving a comment. It is really appreciated! As far as this labeling, it can’t hurt. If it helps people get their eating habits in check, then it’s worth it in my opinion.
Reply
I dunno, it always seemed easier to just look at the label on the back of the food product. The other downside is that for some people their dietary goal may be different than what buying items like this would promote. I guess for a lot of people that information may be overwhelming for them and it is easier to just look at that icon you talked about in your post. And I do agree that for the average person on the street who does not necessarily exercise a lot labeling system would probably work well.
Reply
John reply on October 9th, 2009 6:41 am:
Finder, I think this is aimed at helping those who have not been reading the existing labels. It’s an attempt to make it extremely easy to monitor your food choices.
Reply
Hey John,
I think this is great. Its so important these days to actually see what is in the foods and beverages that we are eating and drinking. I’ve finally become more health conscious and I’m feeling a lot better already. I realized it was time to start putting good nutrients into my body now before it became a bad habit of eating junk food forever.
Reply
John reply on October 13th, 2009 6:50 am:
Glad to hear you have become more health conscious Soge! We all need to be more careful with the junk we put into our bodies. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction.
Reply
A great programs for Americans. Most often I will check the food labeling before taking any food from the store. Food labeling in my country is quite good for me.
Avatar´s last blog ..Surrogates
Reply
hi, john this really good programs for people specially like me coz i have always problem regarding stomach and fat .so i think it might helpful for reduce this problem
worpdress designers´s last blog ..Applications 4 iPhone
Reply
John reply on October 13th, 2009 6:48 am:
Wd, I’m hoping so!
Reply
This news is a stress buster,specially after reading somewhere that diet foods actually do no good, these labels will save us from the fraudsters.
Reply
John reply on October 13th, 2009 6:49 am:
Kit, yeah, I think that has a lot to do with this labeling system. Companies have been making outrageous, fraudulent claims about nutritional values for years now.
Reply
I’m looking forward to it. It will help me select healthier snacks for my children.
Tip: When checking nutritional facts for weight loss, you should also watch the Saturated Fats as well as the Sugar.
Reply
John reply on October 13th, 2009 6:48 am:
Thanks for the tips Hero. I hope others will use this info to help select healthier snacks for their children.
Reply