FDA Extends Nutrition Facts Label Compliance Deadline to 2020

The agency extended the dates from July 26, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2020 for manufacturers with at least $10 million in annual food sales, and from July 26, 2019 to Jan. 1, 2021 for manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales.

“This extension on the Nutrition Facts label regulation will help ensure that we provide the food industry with guidance to help them modernize their Nutrition Facts labels and that industry has sufficient time to complete and print updated Nutrition Facts labels,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement. “It’s crucial that we provide clear expectations so that industry can meet them.”

FDA noted its rule—requiring updates to the Nutrition Facts label—reflects modern science, including the correlation between diet and such chronic diseases as obesity and heart disease. The revised label will make it easier for consumers to make informed choices about the food they eat, according to the public health agency.

In a news release, FDA said it published “the Serving Size final rule to update the serving size requirements to more accurately reflect what people actually eat and drink, and set new labeling requirements for certain size packages.”

The sweeping overhaul of the Nutrition Facts label is the first in 20 years and includes a modified list of required nutrients that must be declared on the label, updated serving size requirements, as well as an updated, easy-to-read design.

“Working to improve the nutrition and diet of Americans can be a transformative effort that helps reduce the burden of many chronic diseases, ranging from diabetes to cancer to heart disease,” Gottlieb said in his statement.