Those “Nutrition Facts” labels on nearly every food package in grocery stores are getting a new look.

Calories would be in larger, bolder type, and consumers would know whether foods have added sugars under label changes proposed by the Obama administration Thursday. Serving sizes would be updated to make them more realistic. A serving of ice cream, for example, would double to a full cup, closer to what people actually eat.

The proposed overhaul comes as nutritionists’ views have shifted. While fat was the focus two decades ago when the labels first were created, there is now more concern about how many calories we eat. And serving sizes have long been misleading, with many single-serving packages listing multiple servings, so their calorie count is lower.

The idea isn’t that people should eat more; it’s that they should understand how many calories are in what they are actually eating. The Food and Drug Administration says that by law, serving sizes must be based on actual consumption, not ideal consumption.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple, that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family,” said first lady Michelle Obama, who joined the Food and Drug Administration in announcing the proposed changes at the White House.

Mrs. Obama made the announcement as part of her Let’s Move initiative to combat child obesity, which is celebrating its fourth anniversary. On Tuesday, she announced new Agriculture Department rules that would reduce marketing of less-healthful foods in schools.

New food labels would highlight calories and sugar – Yahoo News

A California state senator wants to make his state the first in the nation to require warning labels on soda and other sugary drinks, a proposal called “misleading” by beverage industry officials.

Democratic Sen. William Monning’s bill proposed Thursday would require the warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories in every 12 ounces. The label would read: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”

Monning says there is overwhelming research showing the link between sugary drinks and those health problems, adding that the wording was developed by a national panel of nutrition and public health experts.

“When the science is this conclusive, the state of California has a responsibility to take steps to protect consumers,” Monning said in a press release. “As with tobacco and alcohol warnings, this legislation will give Californians essential information they need to make healthier choices.”

The bill has the backing of the California Medical Association and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California and the California Black Health Network also are sponsoring the legislation, citing the heavy consumption of sugary drinks and associated health problems among minorities.

A bill similar to Monning’s was introduced last year in Vermont, but it has been held in the Committee on Human Services since April. The Vermont bill would require manufacturers to put warning labels on beverages that contain sugar or other artificial additives.

CalBev, the California arm of the Washington, D.C.-based American Beverage Association, noted that the industry already posts calorie counts on the front of many beverage containers as part of its “Clear on Calories” campaign that began in 2010. Also, drink bottles already have detailed ingredient lists and nutritional information.

“We agree that obesity is a serious and complex issue,” the group said in a statement, but it called Monning’s bill “misleading” because it said just 6 percent of calories in the average American’s diet come from soda, fruit, sports and energy drinks, compared with 11 percent in sweets and deserts. Moreover, it said most calories are consumed in the form of fats, oils and starches in food.

The group would not put a price tag on complying with the proposed legislation but said the measure would increase the cost of doing business in California.

The medical groups backing Monning’s bill countered with their own data, saying sugary drinks are the largest source of added calories in American’s diet in the last three decades. They also said one soda a day boosts an adult’s chances of being overweight by 27 percent and a child’s by 55 percent, and it can increase the risk of diabetes by 26 percent.

California mulls warning labels on sugary drinks – New York News

People who live in colder climates tend to have more of the gut microbes associated with obesity, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that people living farther north, in generally colder locales, have more of the bacterial group Firmicutes and fewer of the group Bacteriodes within their guts.

Previous research has shown that people with more Firmicutes bacteria tended to be heavier, while people with leaner bodies had more Bacteriodes. (The new study didn’t have information on subjects’ body mass indexes, and so couldn’t directly tie the bacterial gut composition with obesity.)

Still, the new findings support the hypothesis that certain obesity-associated microbial communities are “too good at digesting food,” meaning they break food down in a way that leaves more calories available for a person’s body to use, said study co-author Taichi Suzuki, a doctoral candidate in integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley.

However, the study found an association, not a causal relationship, between gut bacteria and geography. As a result, it’s hard to say whether genetic differences, dietary changes or some other mechanism is at play, Suzuki told Live Science.

Past work had suggested that people have adapted to colder climates by packing on extra pounds that act as insulation, Suzuki said. For instance, some studies have found that Inuits tend to be heavier than African tribesmen, he said.

But the relationship between cold and weight isn’t clear-cut. For instance, spending time in the cold increases caloric expenditure. And other studies show that shivering triggers similar muscle responses as exercise.

Live Up North? Your Gut May Have More ‘Fat’ Microbes – Yahoo News

McDonald’s is losing customers, as the world’s biggest hamburger chain struggles to attract diners with its higher-priced sandwiches and new offerings like Mighty Wings.

“We’ve lost some of our customer relevance,” CEODon Thompson conceded Thursday on a call with analysts.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company reported disappointing sales for its fourth quarter, as fewer customers visited its established restaurants. Guest counts at those locations fell nearly 2 percent globally and 1.6 percent in the U.S. in 2013, according to a regulatory filing. And McDonald’s expects some challenges to persist this year.

To win back traffic, Thompson said the chain will focus on speedier service, better value offerings and raising “awareness around McDonald’s as a kitchen and a restaurant” that prepares high-quality food. It’s expanding prep tables and plans to beef up staff during peak hours for better execution. It is also bringing in a new U.S. marketing chief, Deborah Wahl, formerly with homebuilder PulteGroup and automakers Chrysler and Ford.

After outperforming rivals for years, McDonald’s Corp. is facing a shift in eating habits toward foods people feel are fresher or healthier. The company has added options such as chicken wraps and breakfast sandwiches made with egg whites to keep up with the trend.

But it’s received a “muted response.” Chief Operating Officer Tim Fenton said on the call that some of the new offerings “over-complicated” the restaurants, forcing longer wait times.

McDonald’s Fighting To Be ‘Relevant’ To Customers, CEO Concedes « CBS Chicago