requirements of the 1990 federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which authorized the Food and Drug Administration to enforce rules regarding food product labels. The NLEA also authorized the FDA to evaluate products making health claims, such as that they were light or low-fat, to ensure those claims adhere to federal definitions. The NLEA requirements went into effect in May 1994. The intent of nutrition labeling is to provide consumers with the information they need to make healthy food choices. Prior to this regulation, labels provided information on protein, vitamin, and mineral content relative to U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). However, dietary deficiencies are no longer a concern for the majority of Americans who would gain more from information regarding calorie, fat, carbohydrate, protein, sodium, fiber, and cholesterol content. Under the NLEA, Reference Values replace RDAs, indicating for example that a product contains 30% of the recommended daily intake of fat for an adult consuming 2,000 calories and 65 grams of fat daily. The NLEA applies only to products regulated by the FDA and excludes U.S. Department of Agriculture regulated products, like fresh meat and poultry. Some food companies have complained that nutritional content testing expenses must be passed on to the consumer through higher prices. Others object to the amount of data that must fit on the label, leaving less room for promotional copy, art, and preparation/storage instructions.
