What kind of front-of-pack nutrition symbol would best help Americans to understand the foods they are buying and make better choices? This is the central question behind a report released by an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee last week. A single, standardized icon for all foods and beverages should be “simple, interpretive, ordinal and supported by education,” according to the report. In addition to declaring the serving size and calorie content of a food product, the committee recommended that icons rank foods based on a scale of one to three checks, with three-check foods being the best choices. The image at right shows that this loaf of bread would earn three checks based on the Nutrient Facts panel declarations for saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugar. The checkmarks would be earned by products containing low levels of sodium, saturated and trans fat (considered together) and added sugars. If products contained high levels of any of these nutrients, they would not be eligible to earn any checks. For example, if a fat-free cottage cheese with no added sugar contains significant levels of sodium, it would not be able to display any checks on the front-of-pack icon. The recommended icon would not include information on beneficial nutrients, such as protein or calcium. The committee felt that these nutrients can be highlighted in other ways, such as through nutrient content claims. As envisioned by the committee, the proposed icon would replace all existing front-of-pack and shelf-tag nutrition symbols used by food manufacturers and retailers. A single icon that is consistent in appearance and location on a food label would be more helpful to consumers. Impact on Dairy While this report is significant in the ongoing conversation regarding front-of-pack nutrition symbols, the report by itself does not change any labeling recommendations or requirements. FDA would need to undertake significant amounts of work to develop guidance or regulations for front-of-pack icons. Although the details of disqualifying levels and eligibility for checkmarks could be changed by the FDA process, the IOM committee did give examples of how some common foods, including dairy foods, would potentially fare under its proposal. • Low-fat (1% milkfat) milk: 2 checks • Low-fat chocolate milk: 1 check • Light yogurt (non-nutritive sweetener): 3 checks • Fat-free yogurt (sugar-sweetened): 1 or 2 checks • Cheddar cheese: 0 checks • Part-skim ricotta cheese: 2 checks • Regular ice cream: 0 checks • Fat-free or no-sugar-added ice cream: 2 checks IDFA has significant concerns that basing a front-of-pack symbol solely on nutrients to limit (fat, added sugar and sodium) does not adequately reflect the overall nutrition package of nutrient-rich dairy foods. We expressed these concerns last week in a news release following the announcement of the report. What would this front-of-pack plan mean for your products? What do you think should or should not be included in a nutrition icon?