Editor’s Note: The FDA’s labeling decisions are subject to the Data Quality Act; agencies are not permitted to rely on WHO or other reports that do not comply with OMB’s information quality standards. For more information, see 1) CRE’s challenge to HHS use of a WHO dietary report and 2) the letter from the Secretary’s office informing the WHO that its study failed to meet US quality standards.
From: RegBlog | Penn Program on Regulation
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now looking to close the gap. The agency recently issued a supplemental proposed rule that would update the contents of the nutrition facts on food product labels to include the percent daily value for added sugars. This value would be based on a recommendation that the daily intake of sugar calories should not exceed ten percent of total calories, according to the FDA fact sheet on the new proposed labels.
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Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a new guideline strongly recommending that adults and children reduce their daily intake of free, or added, sugars to less than ten percent of their total caloric intake to diminish the risks from non-communicable diseases, such as obesity and heart disease. The WHO included a conditional recommendation calling for reducing sugar intake to less than five percent, if possible.