Information would also be allowed to be provided in leaflets or brochures. Currently, about 60 percent of meat and poultry retailers and some major meatpackers provide nutrition information voluntarily. The guidelines are used by the School Lunch Program and other nutrition programs overseen by the federal government. There is a new guideline added to encourage safe food handling by consumers. That's very nontraditional, but we thought it was very important.
Physical activity is part of maintaining normal weight.
It's also part of maintaining optimal health. Debate among consumer and product lobbying groups prior to the release of the guidelines sometimes focused on the choice of a single word. We wanted the guidelines to include the limit of Department of Agriculture already recommends, which is 10 teaspoons a day. The average American consumes 20 teaspoons of added sugars each day, mostly from soft drinks, according to federal statistics. And the answer is no.