NCA adopts voluntary front of pack calorie labels
The National Confectionery Association (NCA) of the United States has adopted a voluntary position to put calories on the front of packs.
The National Confectionery Association (NCA) of the United States has adopted a voluntary position to put calories on the front of packs.
Speaking at ISM 2013 in Cologne, Germany, NCA President Larry Graham said: “This a volunteer effort, but most of our companies are going to label on the front of their package the total calories that are in that product.”
“Most are willing and the few that aren’t it’s just really logistical reasons. Generally speaking it’s just because there isn’t room on the front of the package to have all this information – it’s all there on the back of the package.”
The NCA said in comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 that it favored voluntary listing of calories front of pack rather than a scale or rating system.
At the time, the NCA rejected a nutrition ranking system, such as traffic lights or a numerical scale, which it said would promote some foods as ‘good’ and others as ‘bad’ in a way that “would likely denigrate candy.”
Consumer demand for information
Graham said that the NCA’s initiative hadn't come as a result of government pressure.
“That’s just something we’re doing because we want consumers to have more information about the products that they’re eating,” he said.
He added: “Confectionery is only 2% of the calories in an American diet, so we don’t feel that our products have any negative health effects and we’re trying to educate the consumer about that.”
Source: National Confectionery Association
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