Coke rolls calories to front

Coke drinkers will soon have a better idea of how many calories they are consuming.

Coca-Cola Co. said Friday it will put information about calories on the front of all packages for its U.S. beverages starting next year.

Like all food products, the company’s beverages already have nutrition panels on the back of the packaging. The new labels will put calories-per-serving and servings-per-container information on the front.

“We view our label as a powerful tool for education, an opportunity to communicate with consumers every time they choose one of our products at the store or have a Coca-Cola beverage on their table,” said Celeste Bottorff, vice president of Coca-Cola’s Living Well initiatives, in a press statement.

Coca-Cola’s portfolio includes Coke soft drinks, Sprite and Fanta as well as a host of noncarbonated beverages such as Powerade, Vitaminwater, Fuze and Minute Maid.

Coca-Cola and other soft-drink companies have been under fire for years from health-related organizations for contributing to rising rates of obesity.

Many major food and beverage firms, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, already have a form of front-of-package labeling in Europe. Kellogg Co. has added quick-glance labels to the front of its cereal boxes in the United States.

Mars Inc., maker of M&Ms, Snickers and Milky Way, announced this month it would start adding front-of-package nutrition labels to its U.S. products.

On Monday, a new voluntary front-of-package labeling initiative called the Smart Choices Program will be unveiled at an American Dietetic Association conference in Chicago.

The program was led by the Keystone Center, a nonprofit group that worked with health experts and food and beverage firms.

In a release issued Friday, the Keystone Center said its new program includes a symbol that identifies nutritious choices and an accompanying label on those items that states calories per serving and servings per container.