Food labels could become a lot quicker and easier to read, if the U.S. government decides to proceed with new recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, which call for a simplified label showing the number of calories per serving and rating the food on a scale of one to three stars, reports the New York Times.
The new system was based on the Energy Star label currently used as the industry standard for appliances. The simplified nutritional information, which is meant to adorn the front of food packaging, is designed to be easy to assess at a glance.
"It’s interpretive. People don’t need to look at numbers or do any calculations to figure out what they mean. Three stars are better than no stars," explained Alice Lichtenstein who served on the committee that prepared the report.
Each star is earned for falling beneath an established limit for sugars, sodium and saturated or trans fats, but if the food is loaded with any one of the three – such as sugar-laden colas – it automatically earns zero stars.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America – representing America’s major food companies – says that they will go ahead with their own labeling plan, however. Called Facts Up Front, their proposed front-of-box labels will show amounts of various nutrients and their percentage of the recommended daily intake.