Getting down to the facts of food

In Canada, consumers wanting nutrition info know to turn the package on its side or all the way around and read the Nutrition Facts Panel.

American products have the facts panel, too. But some products south of the border also now carry simplified nutrition icons on the front of package..

The icons (partially shown above) are called Facts Up Front. They are the nutrition equivalent of a movie trailer, writes nutrition consultant and author Bonnie Taub-Dix in U.S. News. The icons provide shoppers with basic info on a product’s nutrition value; if they want more, the can turn to the facts panel on the back.

Facts Up Front is a voluntary initiative by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute. With a website and nutrition calculator, GMA and FMI are putting nutrition where it should be: right in front of shoppers.

Read the article here.