Tell Congress: Change Sugar Labels!

If someone is caught putting cocaine in a child’s snack pack, they go to jail, as it should be. Yet an entire industry has been hiding copious amounts of highly addictive, poisonous sugar in our food. It may sound outlandish, but it’s true: for years, Big Sugar has been actively working to get Americans addicted to sugar, which is more addictive than cocaine—and not just through traditionally sweet items like candy. Now, foods that masquerade as health foods—low-fat yogurt, sports drinks, and many others—are loaded with sugar, and it’s making us drug-addicted and obese. Big Sugar can get away with this in large part because they can obscure the amount of sugar in a product by listing it in grams, rather than a more relatable measurement like teaspoons.

Consider these examples of hidden sugar:

Common 20oz sports drinks contain 32 grams of sugar—or about 8 teaspoons;
A large, flavored coffee can contain 25 teaspoons of sugar, three times more than what is in a 12oz cola;
Vitaminwater contains 32 grams of sugar, or 8 teaspoons;
A single cup of low-fat yogurt can contain up to 47 grams of sugar, which is 12 teaspoons.

Due to the numerous negative health effects associated with a diet high in sugar, it's time for Congress to stop allowing Big Sugar to hide the sugar content of their food.

Write to Congress and the FDA and tell them to change the way sugar is labeled, from grams to teaspoons.

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Food and Drug Administration

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Please change the way sugar is labeled

Dear [Decision Maker],

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As part of the Nutrition Innovation Strategy, the FDA should consider changing the way sugar is labeled on nutrition labels so that it is listed in teaspoons rather than grams--a measurement more Americans are familiar with.

If someone is caught putting cocaine in a child's snack pack, they go to jail, as it should be. Yet an entire industry has been hiding copious amounts of highly addictive, poisonous sugar in our food. It may sound outlandish, but it's true: for years, Big Sugar has been actively working to get Americans addicted to sugar, which is more addictive than cocaine--and not just through traditionally sweet items like candy. Now, foods that masquerade as health foods--low-fat yogurt, sports drinks, and many others--are loaded with sugar, and it's making us drug-addicted and obese. Big Sugar can get away with this in large part because they can obscure the amount of sugar in a product by listing it in grams, rather than a more relatable measurement like teaspoons.

Consider these examples of hidden sugar:
	-Common 20oz sports drinks contain 32 grams of sugar--or about 8 teaspoons;
	-A large, flavored coffee can contain 25 teaspoons of sugar, three times more than what is in a 12oz cola;
	-Vitamin Water contains 32 grams of sugar, or 8 teaspoons;
	-A single cup of low-fat yogurt can contain up to 47 grams of sugar, which is 12 teaspoons.

The list goes on. The point is that, most people would not add twelve teaspoons of sugar to their yogurt, let alone 25 teaspoons of sugar in their coffee. The only way you can get most people to consume that much is by obscuring the information, which is what putting it in grams on the nutrition facts label does.

The government should also not be in the business of defining what is and isn't "healthy." Big Food and other special interests would inevitably influence this definition, robbing it of any meaning. Would Kraft Singles (not cheese, but rather a "cheese product") be considered "healthy"? The government has shown repeatedly that it is not up to date on the latest nutrition science; as witnessed in the recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans that, for instance, continue to warn Americans to limit cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat despite the latest science suggesting this is nonsense.

Due to the numerous negative health effects associated with a diet high in sugar, it's time for Congress to step in and stop allowing Big Food to hide the sugar content of food; the only reason not to do so is to protect their bottom line.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]