FDA Might Soon Put A Cap On How Much Sugar An American Consumes In A Day

Excessive sugar consumption has often been associated with an increased risk of several health issues, including diabetes and obesity. To help ensure that Americans cut down on their sugar intake, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might soon recommend a daily cap on sugar consumption.

The New York Times reported that the new FDA guideline recommends an American to consume added sugar equivalent to no more than 1 percent of daily calorie intake. That means, anyone aged 3 and above is not recommended to eat more than 50 grams or 12.5 teaspoons of added sugar in a day.

The new FDA guidelines, which were first proposed in July 2015, are currently under review. In the proposal, the regulatory body has detailed “labeling regulations for conventional foods and dietary supplements to provide updated nutrition information on the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels to assist consumers in maintaining healthy dietary practices,” according to Federal Register.

Currently, the labels on the packaged food products only provide information on the total amount of sugar contained in it. The new change to the labels intends to include information on how much sugar in naturally-occurring and the amount of added sugar in it.

“When you see a yogurt with pictures of blueberries and strawberries on the label — right now there could be a teeny tiny amount of real fruit in there and an awful lot of added sugar, or lots of fruit and dairy and little added sugar, and the consumer cannot distinguish between the two,” said Susan Mayne of the FDA, according to the New York Times.