Ever been in the store trying to buy food or snacks for your family before someone has a meltdown? That’s pretty much the scene every time I go shopping with my young kids these days.

There’s a solution. More complete nutrition labels on food in stores can help us all with speedy, healthy shopping! But nutrition labels are under attack by some members of the food industry.

*Can you help fight back against these corporate special interest groups and make sure there are more complete nutrition labels on our food? http://action.momsrising.org/sign/DGA/

Nutrition labels on products really help. Sure, pre-made sauces, bags of snack mix and fruit drinks look like yummy time savers. But what’s really inside those packages? Food labels give me important insights like calories, caffeine content, added ingredients and more.

In short: nutrition labels let this busy mom stay in charge of what my family is eating and drinking. Mom victory!

Food labels are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are being updated this year—and right now they are under attack from the food industry, so the voices of moms are needed now to fight back! The new guidelines will include the latest expert recommendations around calories, fat, sugars and more.

An expert Advisory Committee has just released recommendations on updating the guidelines. One key recommendation is for nutrition labels to include the amount of added sugars in foods. How great is that? The experts also recommend that Americans eat less salt, and that a sustainable diet higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods is better for both our health and the environment.

Why is it so important for us to speak out? First, the guidelines are an important tool for helping families, schools and communities stay healthy. They serve as the basis for national nutrition advice, programs like school breakfast and lunch, and policies like food labeling. For example: our kids are seeing more fruits and vegetables, and less saturated fats, on school lunch trays because of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Second, believe it or not the expert committee recommendations are under attack from the food industry. A Who’s Who of Washington special-interest groups wants to water down the government’s core nutrition advice for Americans, prioritizing profits over health. (Yes, it’s true.)

Moms know that experts, not industry, should have the final say in providing advice on a healthy diet. 

What’s at stake? The Advisory Committee recommendations include:

• Reducing consumption of added sugars, and adding a line on added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label that includes a percentage of a Daily Value.
• Limiting sodium intake.
• Developing additional measures to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.
• Developing policies to promote water as the primary beverage of choice.
• Recognizing sustainability as an essential component of federal dietary guidance.
• Recognizing a broad range of factors, including policy and environmental approaches, that influence people’s diet and weight-related behaviors.

Help us ensure that the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans reflect the latest science, so they can help Americans make healthier food and beverage choices. Add your voice today.