UPDATE: Guiding Stars commented on FDA’s proposed changes to Nutrition Facts panel. Learn more »
Guiding Stars applauds the effort by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Food and Drug Administration to advocate for good nutrition and healthy families. On behalf of the Guiding Stars Scientific Advisory Panel – experts in the fields of food and nutrition science and public health who are all deeply committed to helping consumers make informed and better food choices – I offer our support and encouragement for a thorough review of the Nutrition Facts label – what’s working and what’s not. All carefully considered efforts to revise this information and make it more useful to all American consumers would be welcome.
The Guiding Stars nutrition guidance program with its simple one, two and three star ratings system gives consumers a ready point of comparison to determine which foods provide a good, better or best nutritional value. Grounded in evidence-based science and aligned with the latest dietary guidelines, Guiding Stars provides consumers with direct and easy-to-understand information for making more nutritious choices.
Importantly, the Guiding Stars algorithm uses data obtained from the Nutrition Facts label on food products. Efforts to revamp this information are timely and relevant to the challenge presented by our most pressing public health problems. We look forward to evaluating U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule 0910-AF22 and 0910-AF23 and contributing to this discussion.
Professor Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, FASN, FACN
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University