Food and beverage manufacturers are making it easier than ever for people to quickly access key nutrition information as they scan store shelves.
General Mills and more than 50 manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers have voluntarily implemented Facts Up Front (FUF), a labeling system that brings important nutrition information from the Nutrition Facts Panel to the front of food and beverage packages.
FUF, launched in 2011 by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute, is a voluntary initiative that aligns with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines and regulations.
General Mills has long provided consumers with useful, objective, fact-based information on packages to help them make easier comparisons and informed dietary choices.
We were one of the first to implement FUF, displaying it on the front of our Big G cereal boxes starting in January 2011 and have since rolled it out on many of our other products including yogurt, snack bars and frozen vegetables.
So, what kind of information can you find on the FUF icon?
The basic Facts Up Front label lists calories and information about saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving – nutrients the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting. The four nutrient facts are always presented together as a consistent set.
Additionally, food and beverage companies may also include information on one or two nutrients to encourage. These nutrients – potassium, fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium and iron – are needed to build a “nutrient-dense” diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
These nutrients to encourage can only be placed on a package when a product contains 10 percent or more of the daily value per serving of the nutrient and meets the FDA requirements for a “good source” nutrient content claim.
For more information about the FUF label, visit FactsUpFront.org. The site offers simple, interactive tools like a nutrition calendar, nutrition quiz, shopping and meal planning tips and recipes that can be made with products bearing the Facts Up Front label.
There is also a section for health professionals, which provides downloadable tools and resources for educating consumers, patients and clients.
Source: General Mills
