DeLauro Calls for Stronger Food Labeling Regulations

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the announcement from the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute for their front-of-package (FOP) food labeling system.

Congresswoman DeLauro has worked for years to ensure that nutritional information is and easily available to the public. She was a leading critic of the food industry's flawed Smart Choices nutrition labeling program, which was ultimately abandoned due to concerns about misleading information for consumers.

"The industry's unveiling today of its front-of-package labeling system is troubling and confirms that this effort should not circumvent or influence FDA's effort to develop strong guidelines for FOP labels.

"Given that negative and positive nutrients will not be differentiated on the package, there is significant risk that these labels will be ignored. An adequate labeling system must clearly alert consumers about potentially unhealthy foods, and should not mislead them into believing that some foods are healthy when they clearly are not.

"I strongly urge the FDA to continue developing a useful and simple FOP labeling system based on strong guidelines that would provide an effective informational tool in combating the obesity epidemic."