Proposed changes in ‘Nutrition Facts’ labels

The White House and the Food and Drug Administration are proposing an overhaul of the “Nutrition Facts” labels on food packages. Among the possible changes:

—Calories displayed more prominently.

—A new line for “added sugars” — those sugars that aren’t naturally occurring and are added in processing.

—Serving sizes updated to reflect the amount of food people really eat. By law, the FDA has to create the labels based on how much people eat, not what they should eat. This means per-serving calorie counts on the package would be more meaningful.

—Dual listing of nutrients per serving and nutrients per container for some foods. These are items like frozen dinners or a can of soup that could be consumed in a single sitting.

—A listing for nutrients that Americans need more of, such as potassium and vitamin D.

—”Calories from fat” would be removed because it’s confusing. The type of fat is more important than the amount.