A Food and Drug Administration panel suggests food labels need to display calories more prominently than they are currently shown to help combat the nation’s obesity.
The report, put out by the Obesity Working Group, proposes changing food labels to ensure they accurately portray serving size, and increase enforcement on those companies that don’t comply. The report also says restaurants should provide calorie and nutrition information, and consumers need to be educated about how to maintain a healthy diet and weight.
In the same vein, a study was published this week in Health Affairs that said treating medical conditions related to obesity in seniors could account for 20% of healthcare dollars spent by 2020. The study also said severely obese people aged 50 to 69 have about twice as many chronic medical conditions. Generally, about 64% of Americans are overweight, including more than 30% who are considered obese, the CDC estimates.
The report can be found at http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/obesity/.
