Latest from Food Politics: Front-of-package label designs: Which one works best?

RFK Jr has promised that we will soon ahve a new front-of-package label. .   As soon as they define ultra-processed foods, Every food in your grocery store will have a label on it, ” Kennedy told [Joe] Rogan. “It’ll have, maybe, a green light, a ...

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By Marion Nestle April 01 2026 Front-of-package label designs: Which one works best? RFK Jr has promised that we will soon ahve a new front-of-package label..  As soon as they define ultra-processed foods, Every food in your grocery store will have a label on it,” Kennedy told [Joe] Rogan. “It’ll have, maybe, a green light, a red light, or a yellow light telling you whether or not it’s going to be good for you.” This has been in the works for a long time, as I’ve written previously.  The FDA’s original version did not have colors so we don’t know yet what this might look like. But which of the many possible designs is likely to be most effective?  We now have the answer to that question: Efficacy of front-of-package nutrient labels designed for mandatory implementation in the USA: an online randomised controlled trial. The study asked particicpants to identify products with the most and least healthful nutrition profiles from among these designs. The clear winner: The last column (“multi-high-in-label), which greatly outperformed the ones like what the FDA is proposing. The winning label helped participants Identify healthy products Avoid interpreting unhealthy foods as healthy Recall label contents The obvious interpretation: Use the winners. These, by the way, are much like those used in Chile, Mexico, and other Latin American countries, with much evidence for effectiveness. Resources Open-access Article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00027-7/fulltext  Link to article and Appendix Press release: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/new-research-suggests-fda-should-consider-redesign-proposed-nutrition-labels Lancet PH Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1793453/episode_players/18876284 The post Front-of-package label designs: Which one works best? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts Canada’s new food warning label!   Now Available: What to Eat Now My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out! It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously. For more information and to order, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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Latest from Food Politics: What's happening with infant formula?

I can hardly believe that infant formula, one of the most tightly regulated products on the market, is in the news, but it sure is.   Let’s start with RFK Jr. Amazing.   I thought infant formula companies were already doing that.   Without ...

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By Marion Nestle March 31 2026 What’s happening with infant formula? I can hardly believe that infant formula, one of the most tightly regulated products on the market, is in the news, but it sure is.  Let’s start with RFK Jr. Amazing.  I thought infant formula companies were already doing that.  Without question, millions of Americans were raised on the existing infant formulas and have done pretty well on them. RFK Jr does not like high fructose corn syrup (most formulas don’t use this) or seed oils.  I will be interested to see what his FDA proposes as replacements. But now we have a new formula company, Little Spoon, putting full-page ads in the New York Times.  “Parents,” it says, “deserve to trust the food that fules their family.”  It says it uses better ingredients and tests for banned chemicals. And why is this a step forward?  Alas, we have the ByHeart example—a “better-for-you” formula unfortunately—and tragically—contaminated with toxic bacteria. What’s especially troubling about the ByHeart tragedy is that its products are still on shelves. State officials still finding recalled ByHeart infant formula on store shelves South Carolina warns Botulism Contaminated Infant Formula Still on Market Food safety lawyer Bill Marler has plenty to say about this: To Safer Infant Formulas and doing away with Botulism, Cronobacter sakazakii, Salmonella and Bacillus cereus And then there are Consumer Reports’ investigations of heavy metals in formulas, lead and arsenic, among them. No wonder parents are concerned.  No wonder there is now a market for better tested formula. What should parents do while all this is going on? To avoid pathogens, buy canned and bottled formula that has been Pasteurized. To avoid toxic metals?  That’s harder to do since most formulas are not tested. All of this is yet another reason to breastfeed, if at all possible.  And to wean babies off of formula as soon as they are ready. The post What’s happening with infant formula? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts The infant formula scandals: will they ever stop? Update on the ByHeart infant formula botulism disaster Not something I wanted to see: Botulism in infant formula   Now Available: What to Eat Now My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out! It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously. For more information and to order, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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