For the first time in over two decades, the Nutrition Facts label has been updated.

Introduced more than 20 years ago in 1994 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Nutrition Facts label was aimed at helping consumers make better food choices. On Friday, the label was updated to revise serving sizes, emphasize caloric amounts, and reflect the amount of added sugar for most packaged foods across the U.S. 

The new labeling was first introduced in 2014, but has been debated for years by the food industry and federal health officials.

One of the biggest changes to the Nutrition Facts label is the highlight of the “added sugar” contents. Companies will be required to include the amount of sugar added to their foods and the percentage of the daily recommended amount. 

Added sugars are sugars added to a product during processing. Any foods that have naturally occurring sugars such as fruits or milk doesn’t account for added sugars, said Jay-Lin Jane, distinguished professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University.

It gives consumers a choice to make better decisions, Jane said. “People who are concerned with diabetes or weight gain will see the label with the added sugar content and choose another item,” she added.  

“There are many different terms meaning sugar. Anything that isn’t naturally in the food product to begin with can be considered added sugar. A lot of the baked goods have added sugars for flavor or texture, so some of these sugars are hidden,” said Ruth Litchfield, state nutrition extension specialist and associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University.

“The last two iterations on the dietary guidelines said to limit your sugar intake. They didn’t give a number of teaspoons and added calories from added sugar, so how could we limit our intake when we didn’t know how much was in the food?” Litchfield said.

Now on the label, the added sugars are separated out from the naturally occurring sugars, differentiating the two. 

“I think it will make an impact with a number of consumers. It will impact their decision on which products to choose, especially with those who are trying to manage their diabetes,” said Litchfield. “It’s long overdue. The nutrition concerns we have now are different from the concerns we had years ago.”

Manufacturers who make more than $10 million in annual food sales will have until July 2018 to change their labels. All other manufacturers will be given an extra year to adhere to the changes.

Some companies have already started offering products containing less sugar. Kellogg’s promised to reduce the sugar content in their cereals and General Mills reduced the sugar content in their yogurts.  

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the food and beverage industry, said in a statement the update was timely and that consumers don’t eat like they did before.”We look forward to working with FDA and other stakeholders on messages and activities to help consumers understand what the new labels mean,” they said.

Not everyone supported the new label change. 

The Sugar Association, which represents the sugar industry, released a statement saying it was dissapointed in the change and stated that “the lack of scientific justification in this rulemaking process are unprecedented for the FDA.” The Sugar Association also stated that they were “concerned that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that is not grounded in science, and could actually deter us from our shared goal of a healthier America.”

However, a study from the USDA states adult Americans are already starting to pay attention to sugar intake and more of what goes inside of their bodies. With this new Nutrition Facts label update, it will be even easier for consumers to know the nutritional value of packaged foods.