Manufacturers have been able to hide trans fats because they were not required to list them, but that will end tomorrow. Many food makers have already removed the trans fats from their products or are listing the fact that their product is trans-fat free. This post contains an explanation of why trans fats are bad.
The other change to food labels is the required listing of the presence of food allergens, the top eight being tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat. This is good news for the millions of people who suffer from allergies to these substances. You may have noticed that some packaging already carries this information.
There are additional changes as well, according to the Wall Street Journal (via Gourmet Retailer):
The Food and Drug Administration is also pushing food manufacturers to display the number of calories in a product more clearly by increasing the type size and spelling out nutritional information for the entire package, not just for a serving.
Accordingly, Kraft Foods Inc. and other major food companies have begun listing nutrient information in double columns, one for a serving and one for the entire package.
Another change will likely be suggested requirements for vitamins to align with new scientific reports emanating from the National Academy of Sciences.
But all of the labeling metamorphoses are not totally attributable to government requirements -- some will be due to the courting of health-conscious consumers by food producers. For instance, the health benefits of green tea or tomatoes may be highlighted on labels.
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