Dive Brief:
- Mars Inc. is supporting legislation that would require companies to label the amount of added sugar contained in its products on the Nutrition Facts label, much to the chagrin of other food companies.
- Mars also supports recommendations to limit the amount of added sugar consumed to 10% of daily calories as proposed by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
- While Mars knows its products contain plenty of added sugar, the company feels that having transparency would be helpful for customers.
Dive Insight:
The head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, believes that non-dessert products may actually be hit hardest by this legislation, should it ever pass, because consumers may be shocked by the amount of added sugar in other non-dessert products, such as paste sauce and yogurt.
Food companies argue that while added sugar could be high in this arena's products, the body does not recognize the difference between added sugar and sugar that is naturally present in fruits, for example. This legislation could cost a lot of headache for food companies while not providing much benefit to consumers, these companies say.
Whether this legislation would ever pass isn't clear, but if it does, it would be significant for consumers and companies in light of the new sugar recommendations and higher obesity rates in the U.S.