Drink bottles, cans must now show calorie content on front

In an effort to educate people about how many calories they're sucking back, the front labels of packaged beverages in bottles or cans of 20 ounces or less must now show the total number of calories they contain.

"Beverage containers traditionally 'hid' the nutritional content at the back in a small square with small print and cleverly listed just calorie content per serving," said Dr. Jessica Bartfield, part of a physician-led team with Loyola University Health System that is trying to help people change behaviors that lead to them being overweight. "Unbeknownst to those who are happily guzzling their favorite cola or fruit drink, most packaged beverages contain multiple servings, and most Americans fail to do the math on the total calorie count."

In terms of caloric consumption when it comes to fruit and soft drinks, Bartfield shared some troubling statistics, which research research-reporting service Newswise listed:

• The average American consumes 22.5 teaspoons of added sugar each day. Half of that amount comes from soda and drinks, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004) showed.

• One in 10 overweight adults "consume 450 calories of sugar sweetened beverages per day, which is three times that of an average American. Cutting 450 calories per day would lead to about a 1 pound per week weight loss, close to 50 pounds in one year," Bartfield said. (Read more)