GMA Launches Nutrition Education Website

WASHINGTONThe Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) launched a new nutrition education website to help consumers make informed choices while shopping. The new site is part of the Facts Up Front nutrition labeling initiative established by GMA and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in 2011.

The interactive website offers facts and tools to educate and empower consumers including, a nutrition calculator to help people determine specific calorie and nutrient needs, a nutrition quiz allowing consumers to indentify ways to learn more about building a healthful diet, shopping and meal planning tips from registered dietitians, recipes that offer easy meals made with products bearing the Facts Up Front label and an interactive label explaining nutrients in Facts Up Front and how they impact health, as well as common nutrient sources.

In addition to consumer resources, a section of the website is dedicated to health professionals providing tools and resources for educating consumers, patient and clients. A Spanish-language version of the site also was launched along with mobile versions.

Facts Up Front brings information from the Nutrition Facts Panel on the back of food and beverage products and displays them on the front of product packages in a simple and easy-to-use format highlighting nutrition information like calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving, as well as essential nutrients for a balanced diet and those under-consumed by most Americans. The program is grounded in science and research on consumer messaging about nutrition, including the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.