Walmart has announced a new FOP labeling program.
The logo will go on Walmart's in-house brand products that meet the company's nutritional criteria. These criteria are similar (but not identical) to those recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its recent report advising the FDA about what should be included in front-of-package labels.
Because the FDA has not yet acted on the IOM report, Walmart -- like other retailers -- is jumping the gun in doing its own thing. Its thing, however, is a substantial improvement over the Facts Up Front scheme put in place by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Marketing Institute.
In general, strict nutrition criteria for salt, sugar, and saturated fat exclude most supermarket products.
Walmart's criteria are pretty strict. They exclude 80 percent of Great Value products.
In the cereal category, for example, only these Great Value items qualify:
- Extra Raisin Bran Cereal
- Raisin Bran
- Bran Flakes
- Crunchy Oat Squares
- Frosted Shredded Wheat
- Crunchy Nugget Cereal
- Toasted Wholegrain Oat Cereal
But these Great Value cereals do not:
- Cocoa Cool Cereal
- Cinnamon Crunchy Oat Squares Cereal
- Apple Blasts Cereal
- Sugar Frosted Flakes Cereal
- Toasted Corn Cereal
- Crisp Rice Cereal
- Fruit Spins Cereal
- Fruity Puffs Cereal
- Crunchy Honey Oats Cereal
- Vanilla Almond Awake Cereal