Food Labels Need a Nutrient Release Rate Upgrade

Current food labeling practices may not align with current dietary advice. According to some experts, revamping labels to include nutrient release rates could significantly improve how consumers make informed food choices.

Rethinking Nutritional Information

Currently, nutritional information is communicated via nutrient composition and the emphasis on whole foods. However, Emeritus Professor Mike Gidley from the University of Queensland suggests this approach has gaps.

According to Gidley, people tend to gravitate toward whichever “food language” best suits them, yet a crucial element remains absent. He argues that while composition assesses nutritional value through nutrients and caloric energy against daily targets, health agencies highlight whole foods due to strong evidence supporting their health benefits.

The Problem with Current Composition Metrics

Simply measuring protein, carbohydrates, or fats is insufficient for judging nutritional value. Professor Gidley points out that certain unhealthy foods share similar compositions with healthier options.

Whole foods typically offer a gradual nutrient release, whereas processed foods release nutrients more rapidly. This difference is not reflected when nutritional value is solely based on composition. For example, sugary drinks lead to quicker glucose spikes compared to complex carbohydrates, impacting energy levels and insulin response (Harvard School of Public Health).

A Better System

Professor Gidley proposes a better labeling system that incorporates the rate at which individual components, such as protein, starch, fat, and sugar, are delivered to the body.

According to Gidley, “If we can incorporate nutrient release rates, we can bridge the gap between the two types of nutrition communication.”

The Road Ahead

More research is needed before this proposal can materialize. Professor Gidley emphasizes the need for more data on how real people digest food, acknowledging that it’s a major scientific challenge because it happens dynamically and needs non-invasive measurement.

It is essential to understand how quickly nutrients are absorbed and how much nourishes gut microbiota, which plays a crucial role in human health.

Professor Gidley calls for global collaboration to define a standardized analytical method to predict nutrient release from foods using a laboratory method.

“My guess is the first stage would be moving towards a fast, medium or slow kind of classification system,” Gidley said.

He added, “It won’t happen immediately, but without talking about it, nothing will happen, so this proposal is a conversation starter.”

Emeritus Professor Gidley’s opinion piece was published in Nature Food.