Coming soon will be an updated Nutrition Facts Panel aka “The Nutrition Facts.” The new label will feature a larger type for Calories, a new line for added sugar, and the addition of Vitamin D and Potassium.
With the current nutrition label standards being more than 20 years old, we here at Lifeway are excited about the update especially regarding the added sugar. Currently, when reading our flavored kefir labels, one might assume we add 20 grams of sugar, when in fact most of the sugar actually comes from milk. Milk has 12 grams of naturally occurring sugar. We only add 8 grams of cane sugar, or around 2 teaspoons, per 8oz serving. We also have plain kefirs, with no added sugar, in a variety of fat options – nonfat, low fat, and whole fat. Plain kefir is great for recipes such as dips, sauces, baking, soups, smoothies, and so much more.
To compare our added 2 tsp of sugar, a recent study estimated that the median added sugar intake was 17.6 tsp/d for men and 11.7 tsp/d for women. While we know that our flavored kefirs only have 2 tsp, added sugars can easily add up. For example, one might be consuming others foods with lots of added sugar such as flavored drinks, granola, and condiments.
Vitamin D, an important nutrient for bone health, will also be required on all food labels. One serving of Lifeway Kefir has 25% daily value of Vitamin D or 100IU.
We support the FDA’s updated nutrition labeling because we want our customers to know what they are consuming. Making informed choices is key to good health and nutrition, whether it’s added sugar, serving size, or ingredients. If you ever have any questions about our products, please reach out at [email protected].