[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4725 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4725
To strengthen requirements related to nutrient information on food
labels.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Thanedar,
and Mr. Carson) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To strengthen requirements related to nutrient information on food
labels.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Transparency, Readability,
Understandability, Truth, and Helpfulness in Labeling Act'' or the
``TRUTH in Labeling Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The average American consumes substantially more added
sugars, sodium, and saturated fat than is recommended by the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans published under section 301 of
the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of
1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341), potentially increasing their risk for
hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.
(2) A large body of experimental and real-world evidence
has demonstrated that front-of-package labels that highlight
high levels of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat can
significantly improve the nutritional quality of foods that
consumers purchase or select.
(3) Use of the nutrition facts label is lower among
individuals with lower educational attainment and lower
incomes, and robust research shows that front-of-package labels
can be particularly beneficial for busy shoppers and for those
with less nutrition literacy.
(4) Front-of-package nutrition labeling gives consumers
quick and easy access to key information about the
healthfulness of foods and can support healthier choices for
consumers and their families.
(5) Studies also show that front-of-package labeling can
improve consumers' understanding of the relative healthfulness
of different foods.
(6) Public health organizations advise that children should
not consume non-nutritive sweeteners. Real-world evidence has
demonstrated that front-of-package labeling policies that
highlight high levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, but
that do not disclose the presence of non-nutritive sweeteners,
are associated with the food industry reformulating products to
have lower levels of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, but
increased levels of non-nutritive sweeteners.
(7) Real-world evidence has demonstrated that front-of-
package label policies that highlight high levels of sugar,
sodium, and saturated fat, and disclose the presence of non-
nutritive sweeteners (with an advisory that children should
avoid them), are associated with the food industry reducing the
amount of sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and non-nutritive
sweeteners in their products.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS FOR FRONT-OF-PACKAGE LABELING FOR FOODS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall finalize the
proposed rule entitled ``Food Labeling: Front-of-Package Nutrition
Information'' (90 Fed. Reg. 5426 (January 16, 2025)).
(b) Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The final rule required by subsection (a)
shall require a food (as defined in section 201(f) of the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321(f)))
intended for human consumption and offered for sale to bear
nutrition labeling that includes the following:
(A) A label on the principal display panel that
details and identifies high amounts of added sugars,
sodium, or saturated fat, as applicable. Such principal
display panel shall include a separate label for each
such nutrient, as applicable. Such labels shall
designate high amounts of added sugars, sodium, or
saturated fat based on Daily Values for adults,
children ages 1 to 3 years, and infants through age 12
months, as applicable. Such labels shall include the
words ``High in'' and a conspicuous exclamation point
icon.
(B) If applicable, a statement on the principle
display panel that declares that the food contains non-
nutritive sweeteners, with a factual statement that
non-nutritive sweeteners are not recommended for
children. Such statement shall appear adjacent to the
one or more ``High in'' labels described in
subparagraph (A), if applicable.
(2) Application to foods for children.--Notwithstanding
section 101.9(j)(5) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations
(as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act), the
labeling requirements described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of
paragraph (1) shall apply to foods, other than infant formula,
that are represented or purported to be specifically for
infants through 12 months of age and children 1 through 4 years
of age.
(c) Daily Reference Values and Percent Daily Values.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b),
the Secretary shall establish Daily Reference Values and
percent Daily Values for added sugars, sodium, and saturated
fat for infants through 12 months of age and update the Daily
Reference Values and percent Daily Values for added sugars,
sodium, and saturated fat for children 1 to 3 years in
alignment with the recommendations in the 2020-2025 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans published by the Secretary and the
Secretary of Agriculture.
(2) No delay in finalizing rule.--
(A) In general.--If the Secretary determines that
establishing Daily Reference Values and percent Daily
Values as described in paragraph (1) for inclusion in
the final rule required by subsection (a) would prevent
the issuance of such final rule by the deadline
described in such subsection, the Secretary shall issue
such final rule before establishing such Daily
Reference Values and percent Daily Values.
(B) Revisions.--If the Secretary finalizes the rule
as required by subsection (a) before establishing Daily
Reference Values and percent Daily Values, as described
in subparagraph (A), the Secretary, as soon as
practicable after establishing such Daily Reference
Values and percent Daily Values, shall revise such
final rule to include such Daily Reference Values and
percent Daily Values.
(d) Limitation.--Nothing in this section or in the final rule
required by subsection (a) shall prevent the Secretary from revising
paragraph (4) of section 101.61(b) of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations, to update the limit for the low sodium nutrient content
claim to 115 milligrams per reference amount customarily consumed or
paragraph (5) of such section to update the limit for the low sodium
nutrient content claim to 115 milligrams per 100 grams, to align with
current nutrition science.
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