Proposed new nutrition labels would highlight sugar, standardize serving sizes

TORONTO - Health Canada is proposing redesigned nutrition labels that would highlight when food products contain a lot of sugar.

The new labelling rules would also standardize serving sizes to make it easier for consumers to compare nutrient contents of similar products.

Ingredients lists would be easier to read and when sugar is listed, a manufacturer would have to spell out all the sugar-related ingredients in the food, such as molasses or fruit juice concentrate.

Along with stating the amount of sugar per serving, labels would include a percentage of how much one portion represents of a person's recommended daily intake.

A guideline on the label would state that under five per cent is "a little" and 15 per cent or more is "a lot."

The proposed changes are the result of feedback from more than 10,000 Canadians --including parents, consumers, members of health organizations and the food industry --submitted last year.