2020 marks the official release of the updated nutrition label.

To help sort out how this new version is different, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a treasure trove of helpful information, including this label comparison.

The goal of this updated label is to all consumers, including people with diabetes, to make quick, informed food choices to help start eating healthier.

Here are 5 Facts and Label Highlights:

1. Serving size is larger and bolder font and helps quickly answer the question, “how much is one serving” first, to help accurately gauge actual calorie, fat, sugar, and carb, protein and micronutrient intake.
2. Daily value– based on a 2000 calorie diet, the label tells you how much one serving of this food will contribute to the daily value of the most critical nutrients.
3. Fiber – Processed foods have little or no fiber. By encouraging people to choose foods that have 3 or more grams of fiber per serving, they will be choosing less processed, more nutritious foods.
4. Added sugars– In addition to listing the carbs and total sugar, the label calls out how much sugar (sucrose, high fructose corn syrup or other type) has been added. This is an excellent information add on for people interested in limiting added sugar.
   Each 4gms of sugar = 1 teaspoon
5. Important Micronutrients – the nutrients listed further down on the label (Fiber, Vitamin A, C, etc.) are nutrients most Americans don’t get enough of, so looking for labels that have a higher percentage of this can help consumers increase nutrient intake.

Read more on FDA Nutrition Labels here.

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