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Redesigning the Nutrition Label: Here's One Scientist's Clever Proposal

Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest proposes a new nutrition label with a host of subtle but important changes.


Nutrition labels can be a little like art galleries, or condoms. We know where they are. We’re happy they’re there. But too many of us don’t bother using them.

So, we're hoping you can help us change that. This is the last week for sending in ideas for redesigning the nutrition label, the mandated, standardized guide to the calories, fats, and sugars in packaged foods, that, as Fast Company's Suzanne LaBarre put it, “has got the visual charm of a Microsoft spreadsheet and the readability of Beowulf.”

Our friends at News21 have helped us put together a talented team of judges, including Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

In 2009, Jacobson proposed the above design tweaks to the current nutrition facts label. His subtle adjustments point out just a few of the shortcomings of the current label — and highlight how changes to the label might make it more effective at changing the way we eat.

Rethink the Food Label is an ongoing collaboration with GOOD and News21. For more about the project, click here.

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