Food and Beverage Industry Launches Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling Initiative

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January 25, 2011

The food and beverage industry announced the launch of Nutrition Keys, a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling system that will help busy consumers make informed choices when they shop.

The program represents the most significant modernization of food labels since the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, according to a joint statement by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

The Nutrition Keys program was developed in response to a request from First Lady Michelle Obama last year. "We share First Lady Michelle Obama’s goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation," said Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of GMA. "Today’s announcement would not have been possible without her leadership. Food and beverage companies have a strong track record of providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and this program represents a significant milestone in our ongoing effort to help consumers construct a healthy diet."

The Nutrition Keys program will change the look of the vast majority of the country’s most popular food and beverage products by placing important nutrition information (calories, saturated fat, sodium and total sugars content) on the front of packages. To appeal to busy consumers, the information will be presented in a fact-based, simple and easy-to-use format. The icon will inform consumers about how the key nutrients in each product fit into a balanced and healthy diet as part of the federal government’s daily dietary advice.

"Today’s sophisticated consumer wants more information about their food than ever before," said Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI "Nutrition Keys, combined with the many innovative nutrition education tools and programs in retail stores, is helping us meet that challenge and exceed consumer expectations."

The Nutrition Keys icon on some products will display information about nutrients that are important and encouraged for a healthy diet, but are under-consumed by the general population, such as potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron and protein.

The board of directors of GMA and FMI adopted a joint resolution in support of the Nutrition Keys initiative at their January 23 joint board meeting. The companies represented by the two associations represent the vast majority of food and beverage products sold in stores.

Companies will begin to place the icon on their products in 2011 according to seasonality and production schedules.

To build consumer awareness and promote use of the icon, manufacturers and retailers have agreed to support the change to their product labels with an unprecedented consumer education campaign.

Participating manufacturers and retailers will initially invest at least $50 million in an advertising, public relations and in-store marketing campaign.

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