FDA Wants New Rules for Labels on Juice Drinks

The Food and Drug Administration is proposing new rules requiring beverage makers to give consumers more information about the juice content in their drinks, an FDA spokesman said Monday.

The rules specify that makers list on the side of containers the percentage of juice in their product and give a breakdown of the percentages of different juices in a blended drink, spokesman Jeff Nesbit said.

That means that producers will have to tell consumers if juice blends contain a higher percentage of cheaper juices such as apple or grape juice.

The rules will apply to juice cocktails and wine coolers as well as juice drinks, Nesbit said.

They are the latest in a series of regulations the FDA has drawn up as part of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act passed by Congress last year. The industry has the right to comment on the proposals before they become law.