It's been said that if you compare the servings at a restaurant in Europe with one in the U.S., you will see a major difference, with the European serving more modest. Americans tend to super-size their meals, and not just at McDonald's. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering taking that into account.
The New York Times is reporting that the FDA is considering several changes to the way nutrition labels on food packages are written. Not only would the FDA require nutrition labels to appear on the front of boxes (not hidden on the back or side), they also would want the serving sizes increased, to reflect the size of meals Americans 'really' consume.
Barbara O. Schneeman, director of the FDA office that oversees nutrition labels said the following:
“We are actively looking at serving size and evaluating what steps we need to take. Ultimately, the purpose of nutrition labeling is to help consumers make healthier choices, make improvements in their diet, and we want to make sure we achieve that goal.”
For example, it is true that many cereal boxes may list one cup or 3/4 of a cup of cereal as a serving. That is actually not much cereal, and many parents may discover their children are eating two cups or more at breakfast, meaning two servings.
Standard serving sizes were created by the FDA in the early 1990s. The FDA examined data from surveys of Americans’ eating habits taken in the 1970s and 1980s. Most now agree that the sizes are now woefully out of date.
However, while the FDA announced it was re-examining serving sizes in 2005, that effort died. It is unclear if the current mindset of looking toward a new serving size standard consistent with the way Americans, who are increasingly overweight or even obese, eat, is going to be accomplished.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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