S 2462
TRUTH in Labeling Act
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Bill overview
The Transparency, Readability, Understandability, Truth, and Helpfulness in Labeling Act, or TRUTH in Labeling Act, aims to improve food labels to help consumers make healthier choices. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to finalize a rule mandating front-of-package labeling that highlights high levels of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat. The rule will also include a statement advising against non-nutritive sweeteners for children, aligning with current dietary guidelines.
Key provisions
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services must finalize a rule for front-of-package nutrition labeling.
- The rule will require labels to identify high amounts of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat using Daily Reference Values.
- The rule will include a statement advising against non-nutritive sweeteners for children.
- Labeling requirements apply to foods marketed to infants through 12 months and children ages 1-3.
- Daily Reference Values for added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat will be aligned with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines.
- The rule may be issued before establishing specific Daily Reference Values, with revisions to follow.
- The rule allows for updating the low sodium nutrient content claim limits to 115 mg per reference amount or 115 mg per 100 grams.
Who is affected
- Consumers
- Food Manufacturers
- The Food Industry
- Public Health Organizations
- Parents and Children
Notable changes
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
S. 2462
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
A BILL
To strengthen requirements related to nutrient information on food labels.
This Act may be cited as the Transparency, Readability, Understandability, Truth, and Helpfulness in Labeling Act TRUTH in Labeling Act
or the
.
Congress finds the following:
The average American consumes substantially more added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat than is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published under section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341), potentially increasing their risk for hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.
A large body of experimental and real-world evidence has demonstrated that front-of-package labels that highlight high levels of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat can significantly improve the nutritional quality of foods that consumers purchase or select.
Use of the nutrition facts label is lower among individuals with lower educational attainment and lower incomes, and robust research shows that front-of-package labels can be particularly beneficial for busy shoppers and for those with less nutrition literacy.
Front-of-package nutrition labeling gives consumers quick and easy access to key information about the healthfulness of foods and can support healthier choices for consumers and their families.
Studies also show that front-of-package labeling can improve consumers’ understanding of the relative healthfulness of different foods.
Public health organizations advise that children should not consume non-nutritive sweeteners. Real-world evidence has demonstrated that front-of-package labeling policies that highlight high levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, but that do not disclose the presence of non-nutritive sweeteners, are associated with the food industry reformulating products to have lower levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, but increased levels of non-nutritive sweeteners.
Real-world evidence has demonstrated that front-of-package label policies that highlight high levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, and disclose the presence of non-nutritive sweeteners (with an advisory that children should avoid them), are associated with the food industry reducing the amount of sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and non-nutritive sweeteners in their products.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the Secretary
) shall finalize the proposed rule entitled Food Labeling: Front-of-Package Nutrition Information
(90 Fed. Reg. 5426 (January 16, 2025)).
A label on the principal display panel that details and identifies high amounts of added sugars, sodium, or saturated fat, as applicable. Such principal display panel shall include a separate label for each such nutrient, as applicable. Such labels shall designate high amounts of added sugars, sodium, or saturated fat based on Daily Reference Values for adults, children ages 1 to 3 years, and infants through age 12 months, as applicable. Such labels shall include the words High in
and a conspicuous exclamation point icon.
If applicable, a statement on the principle display panel that declares that the food contains non-nutritive sweeteners, with a factual statement that non-nutritive sweeteners are not recommended for children. Such statement shall appear adjacent to the one or more High in
labels described in subparagraph (A), if applicable.
Nothing in this section or in the final rule required by subsection (a) shall prevent the Secretary from revising paragraph (4) of section 101.61(b) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, to update the limit for the low sodium nutrient content claim to 115 milligrams per reference amount customarily consumed or paragraph (5) of such section to update the limit for the low sodium nutrient content claim to 115 milligrams per 100 grams, to align with current nutrition science.