How the Obesity Epidemic Is Changing

Nearly 600,000 food items in the United States contain added sugars, but that all is about to change.

Courtesy of EatChewLive
Courtesy of EatChewLive

The FDA has proposed a measure that could change the way sugar appears on labeling. Previously sugar has been displayed as a number on labels like any other ingredient but now labels will show the actual percentage of sugar in reference to total daily calorie amount.

If approved, food labelers will be required to put the percentage on the label along with the government recommended amount, which is 10%. Which means sugar should not be more than 10% of your daily caloric intake.

Also sugar will join the list of 8 items that are currently displayed on a percentage basis as well as per grams. The current list is total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, and iron.

Backers have called to arms about sugar as it has no nutritional value and does more harm than good to a person’s system.

Also in a statement regarding sugar, released by the FDA,

“The percent daily value shows how much a nutrient in a food contributes to a daily diet and would help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families,” the FDA said in the statement. “The FDA is also proposing to change the current footnote on the Nutrition Facts label to help consumers understand the percent daily value concept. In addition, the FDA is releasing results of its consumer studies on the declaration of added sugars and the footnote.”

This footnote may help to deter users as sugar has been heavily linked to obesity and depleted health.

But things weren’t always this way. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the sugar hype began as the first dietary guidelines came out and fat was heavily discouraged; thereby allowing the world of added sugars to truly be born. But that industry dropped by a third in 2008.

But what’s  hard to believe that less than 50 years ago the epidemic was born and not until now have we realized that this sweet sensation was causing our demise.

Tanner Bisbee hails from the great State of Maine. He's a full time college student and serves on the football staff at school. His most notable work to date is his book Modern Day Sports Blog. To read more check out my blog http://moderndaysportsandpolitics.blogspot.com/