Recently, there have been a number of announcements in the world of food nutrition and product labelling in an attempt to better inform consumers about what they are eating. Updates to the Nutrition Facts U.S. Table. UK Traffic Light Labelling System. Google’s Nutrition Check Feature.

1. August | 2014
Toolkit
Food For Thought
Changes to Nutrition Facts

2. introduction
Think Blink
At Shikatani Lacroix, we design compelling at-purchase
moments that connect in the blink of an eye.
Our philosophy and strategic design approach,
Think Blink, is driven by a consumer’s motivation to make
a purchase decision. Everything we do is geared to owning
the “at-purchase” moment. Our firm has a well-earned
reputation for designing integrated brand experiences that
effectively connect brands with consumers to drive
measurable results for clients. !!
About the author
Lori Smale, Project Manager
Shikatani Lacroix
As project manager at Shikatani Lacroix, Lori works with
packaging and retail brands such as PepsiCo Beverages
Canada and Glentel Inc. A graduate of Retail Management
at Ryerson University, Lori joined Shikatani Lacroix in 2011 as
an intern and has grown with the accounts team ever since.
Lori works closely with the studio and clients to ensure all
needs are met, while encouraging design and creative to go
above and beyond expectations.
| Food for Thought | Toolkit | August 5, 2014
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3. introduction
Obesity and chronic diseases are affecting a large majority of
our population, and health and wellness continue to be popular
topics of conversation. It is a well-known fact that lifestyle
choices have led to staggering increase in obesity and disease. !
Recently, there have been a number of announcements
in the world of food nutrition and product labelling in
an attempt to better inform consumers about what
they are eating. I wanted to spread the word about
some of these recent changes, so I have served up a
few below. !!!!
| Food For Thought | Toolkit | August 5, 2014
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4. part one
Updates to the Nutrition Facts U.S. Table
Recently, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has
proposed a new look to the Nutrition Facts Table. This
would be the first update to the Nutrition Facts Table in
the U.S. in 20 years. Ultimately, these changes are
intended to show people what they are actually eating. !
A significant change includes updates to the serving
sizes that better reflect the serving sizes of today’s
standards, rather then the serving sizes proposed 20
years ago. As an example, consider the classic yet
unrealistic 12-chip serving size when most people
generally plan on eating the whole bag. !
Emphasis has shifted to the calorie count, which is now
predominately featured at the top of the label.
Additional importance has been placed on serving sizes
and Percent Daily Value, all of which are linked to
current health issues such as obesity and heart disease. ! The FDA also wants to ensure that both Vitamin D and
Potassium are listed on the label. These two nutrients
are believed to be lacking in a large portion of the U.S.
population’s diet. Low intake of these particular
nutrients represents another link to poor health. ! “Added sugars” will be mandatory information on the
label, as the average intake of added sugar is too high
and should be reduced, according to the 2010 Dietary
Guidelines for the U.S. states. !
With these proposed changes, the FDA is attempting to
update and reflect the current dietary habits of the U.S.
population. Additionally, if it can deter me from eating
the entire bag of chips in one sitting, that can’t be a bad
thing either. !!
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5. UK Traffic Light Labelling System
The UK decided to make it easier shop for healthy food
with its introduction of a traffic light labelling system
last summer. This system of food labelling uses colour
as an easy way to inform consumers of the nutritional
value of the products they are purchasing. The system
is designed using red, amber and green colour coding
which relates to calories, fats (including saturated fat),
sugar and salt content. The ultimate goal of this new
labelling system is to provide customers with a simple,
comparable and consistent visual across all food
products. !
Fundamentals of the new labelling system include
easily understood and meaningful portion sizes, as well
as information about energy, fats, sugars and salts
based on those identified portions. The application of
colour coding using red, amber and green based on
pre-determined calculations are used for consistent
ratings across all food packaging. ! This labelling system is part of a greater plan in the U.K.
The Public Health Responsibility Deal is a voluntary
pledge by organizations to take action in the following
areas: alcohol, food, health at work and physical
activity. The overall goal is to reduce the rate of obesity
and chronic health issues related to excessive eating,
drinking and limited physical activity. Despite it being a
voluntary movement, the Public Health Responsibility
Deal already has a number of large food and beverage
companies signed up, including Tesco, Boots, PepsiCo
UK, and Nestle UK.
part two
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6. Google’s Nutrition Check Feature
Even Google has jumped on the nutrition facts
bandwagon. The Googlers noticed a significant interest
in food and nutrition oriented searches. Launched at
the end of 2013, Google developed a nutritional
comparison tool that allows the users to compare the
nutritional value (or lack thereof) between two food
items, for instance strawberries vs. bananas or eggs vs.
bacon. !
Simply put, rather than clicking through a bunch of links
to find the answers, Google implemented a tool that
does the clicking for you. Simply type in “compare X
and Y” (X and Y being food items) into the Google
search bar and “Ta-Daa!”, the nutrition information of
the two foods are presented in a simple chart form. !
Google picks up its nutrition information from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient
Database. Therefore, you can compare practically any
type of food, with the exception of name brands (I tried
to compare Fruit Loops and Cheerios to no avail). While
it’s not a perfect tool (ex. it is important to be specific
in the choice of food preparation), it certainly makes
the choice easier when you’re debating between the
extra side of bacon or the fruit salad.
part three
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7. While all of the changes to nutritional facts labelling will
not solve our current issues with obesity and
malnutrition overnight, they demonstrate an
overarching shift in how consumers look at food.
Therefore, food companies have clearly begun to take
their labelling seriously as their target market demands
better and more accurate information regarding what
they are eating and feeding their families.
!!
conclusion
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8. References
1. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2014/2/27/fda-proposes-most-significant-update-to-nutrition-
facts-labeling-in-20-years !
2. https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Generic-RD-Flyer-Final.pdf !
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/final-design-of-consistent-nutritional-labelling-system-given-
green-light !
4. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/24/291963536/apples-vs-oranges-google-tool-offers-
ultimate-nutrition-smackdown?
utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=npr&utm_campaign=nprnews&utm_content=03242014 !
5. http://designtaxi.com/news/364763/Google-Quietly-Releases-A-Nutrition-Check-Feature/ !
6. http://www.refinery29.com/2014/03/65064/food-comparison-app !!!!!
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