Smart Choices Program Q&A Why was the Smart Choices Program (SCP) created? The SCP was motivated by the need for a single, trusted and reliable front-of-pack nutrition labeling program that food manufacturers and retailers could voluntarily adopt to help consumers make more nutritious food and beverage choices that fit within their daily calorie needs. In January 2007, a diverse group of organizations and individuals – ranging from academics to public health organizations to food manufacturers and retailers – convened to explore science-based labeling solutions to help improve the American diet and enhance public health. Ways to make the Nutrition Facts panel more relevant and meaningful to consumers emerged as a topic of focus. The dialogue led to a discussion of front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling and the need for a uniform FOP labeling program to help consumers make healthier food and beverage choices, and bring consistency and clarity to the marketplace due to multiple systems. How did ASN get involved with the Smart Choices Program? Several ASN members were involved in the development of the program through participation in the Keystone Roundtable. After the Roundtable completed its work, it issued a request for proposals (RFP) to administer the program. ASN partnered with NSF International to respond to the RFP, and in November 2008, the two organizations were selected by the Roundtable to receive the contract. Who is NSF International and what is the nature of ASN’s partnership with NSF? NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization, which helps protect public health by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education. By virtue of our respective roles as service contractors to the Smart Choices Program, NSF and ASN work together closely on a daily basis. Who owns the Smart Choices Program and what is the nature of ASN’s relationship with the program? A 501(c)4, the Smart Choices Program, Inc., was created to own the program. ASN serves as a service contractor to the 501(c)4. How is the program governed?
The Smart Choices Program is led by a 9-member Board of Directors, which is comprised of 5 representatives from the non-profit, scientific, and academic sectors and 4 members from industry. Board members serve 3-year terms and the first Board was selected by the Keystone Roundtable through an election process. Advising the Board of Directors are three Committees: the Science Advisory Committee, the Participants Committee and the Outreach/Education Committee. Ad hoc committees may also be convened as necessity dictates. One of ASN’s roles in administering the program is to staff and manage the Board and its activities, as well as manage the advisory committees. What role has the government played in Smart Choices, if any? Government agencies served as observers to the Keystone Roundtable and consulted in the dialogue throughout the collaborative process. Given their roles in the regulation of food labels, ASN and NSF will continue the open dialogue with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that was initiated by members of the Roundtable. Other government agencies who were observers include the US Department of Health and Human Services, USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion and Agricultural Research Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Institutes of Health. How does the Smart Choices Program differ from other labeling programs? The SCP has several important differences that distinguish it from other labeling systems. It was developed by a unique, unprecedented coalition of scientists, nutritionists, academicians, food industry representatives and retailers with the goal of providing a single, trusted and easily recognizable nutrition symbol and calorie information that can help make it easier for consumers to make more nutritious food and beverage choices. The group worked collaboratively for over 2 years on the program. The nutrition criteria for use by the SCP are grounded in consensus science, using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Dietary Reference Intakes, existing Food and Drug Administration regulations and other sources of nutrition science and authoritative guidance. The process and nutrition criteria are and will continue to be transparent and will be publicly available. A paper on the nutrition criteria will be published in a peerreviewed, scientific journal. The program is comprehensive and sustainable. It aims to cover the entire U.S. population and can be adapted accordingly when new dietary guidance and policies are communicated and implemented. Will the Smart Choices Program symbol replace the current front-of pack systems that are already on product packages? The SCP is intended to harmonize existing front-of-pack symbols. The goal is to have participating companies use the Smart Choices Program symbol and calorie information instead of other symbols that are currently in use. The intent is to provide one simple communication for the consumer – regardless of which brands they buy or places they shop.
How does a product qualify for the Smart Choices Program symbol? Products are evaluated against the overall criteria that have been established for the SCP. First, they will be matched to one of the 19 product categories that have been established. From there, a product will be evaluated against the category’s specific nutrition criteria – meeting the requirements for nutrients to limit and nutrients or food groups to encourage. A product must meet all criteria across the category. All products displaying the symbol will also be required to display the calories per serving and servings per container on the front of the package. Nutrients to limit are total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium. Nutrients to encourage are calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. Food groups to encourage include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat free dairy. The nutrients to limit and encourage are based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Will foods qualify if they have several nutrients to encourage but they contain higher levels of the nutrients to limit? No. One defining factor of the Smart Choices Program criteria is that the presence of positives (nutrients and food groups to encourage) do not compensate for negatives (nutrients to limit) which exceed Smart Choices Program limits. In other words, all products must meet the criteria for nutrients to limit in order to qualify. How will compliance be determined? When a company registers products with the program, they must submit the Nutrition Facts Panel of the product, which will be used to determine nutrient levels per serving. When there are components that cannot be fully captured by the label or that are not required to be on the Nutrition Facts Panel, the company will be required to share any additional information necessary to determine compliance with the criteria. A graphics guide that outlines specifically how the icon can and should appear on the package has been developed to ensure consistency. A style and communications guide also will be developed to ensure that companies convey consistent, accurate and approved messages when promoting products in the program. How will the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans impact this program? The Smart Choices Program is designed to be flexible and adaptable to new science, including, but not limited to, revisions to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010. The nutrition criteria will continuously be evaluated to stay current as the science evolves and this will be overseen by the Scientific Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors. This same principle applies to other changes in consensus science that will occur such as revisions to Dietary Reference Intakes. Will the program be evaluated? Yes. While the details will be fleshed out by the program’s Science Advisory Committee over the coming months, ASN will be coordinating a rigorous evaluation of the program as well as consumer research to determine the effectiveness of the program. We anticipate that an RFP will be generated to which ASN members and other researchers can respond.