Single-serve labels

Packages of soft drinks, snacks, candy bars, and other foods have been steadily increasing in size. Although clearly designed to be a single-serving container, labels often indicate that they contain more than one serving, possibly misleading consumers about how many calories they are consuming.

Coca-Cola, Kraft, and Pepsi-Co have announced that they will voluntarily list total calories and other nutrients on their larger single-serving containers or provide information on a standard serving and the entire package. CSPI said there should be uniform, mandatory rules. In its petition, CSPI said beverages up to 24 oz and baked goods up to 6 oz should be labeled as single servings. Snack food packages up to 4 oz could bear a dual-column Nutrition Facts panel displaying numbers both for a standard serving and the entire package. Packages using a dual-column format should be required to list the number of servings on the front, said CSPI.