For the third time in six years, the Food Labeling Modernization Act has been introduced in both houses of Congress. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ed Markey; and Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr., Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, and Rosa DeLauro, Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, introduced the legislation, describing it is “an effort to help consumers select healthy products.”
The proposed bill would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a single, standard front-of-package nutrition labeling system for all products required to bear such labeling.
The bill would create a symbol that displays calorie information in relation to serving size, information on saturated and trans fats, sodium, added sugars and other nutrients. It would also add warning symbols for foods high in saturated or trans fats, sodium, added sugars, and other ingredients. Previous versions of this bill introduced in 2015 and 2018 were unsuccessful.