A front-of-package (FOP) nutrition label for most packaged foods — also known as a nutrition info box — could become a reality if an FDA proposal becomes law. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration would require food manufacturers to add the FOP box to most packaged food products three years after the final rule's effective date for businesses with $10 million or more in annual food sales, and four years after the final rule's effective date for businesses with less than $10 million in annual food sales.
The FDA says the proposal supports the agency’s nutrition priorities, which are part of a government-wide effort to combat the nation's chronic disease crisis. The proposed FOP nutrition label provides information on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars content in a simple format showing whether the food has "Low," "Medium" or "High" levels of these nutrients. It complements the FDA's Nutrition Facts label, which gives consumers more detailed information about the nutrients in their food.
The proposed benefits of the nutrition info box are supported by research conducted by the FDA, including a scientific literature review, consumer focus groups and a peer-reviewed experimental study. In 2023, the FDA conducted an experimental study of nearly 10,000 U.S. adults to further explore consumer responses to three types of FOP labels. The purpose of the experimental study was to identify which FOP schemes enabled participants to make quicker and more accurate assessments of the healthfulness of a product based on the levels of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars displayed. The experimental study showed that the black-and-white nutrition info scheme with the percent Daily Value performed best in helping consumers identify healthier food options.
Comments on the proposed rule can be submitted electronically to https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2025-00778/food-labeling-front-of-package-nutrition-information by May 16, 2025.
