"Added sugars" cause for confusion.

• Position: Nutrition Labeling - Brief article

Nutrition facts labels are getting a whole new look, but concerns are emerging about how consumers will Interpret and apply them. Research by the International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C., appearing in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests that pitfalls might lie ahead, and that the labeling could backfire.

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revising the iconic Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP), the IFIC Foundation checked in with consumers to understand the potential impact of added-sugars labeling. "A key question to answer in our consumer research was whether an added-sugars declaration on the NFP provides clear information that is well-understood and would be used appropriately by consumers to make Informed dietary choices," says coauthor Kris Sollid, IFIC director of Nutrients Communications.

In a national online survey of American adults, consumers were shown three NFP versions of a nutritionally identical product, with the only difference being how sugars were labeled...