T97-54 Arthur Whitmore: (202) 205-4144 October 30, 1997 Broadcast Contact:(301) 827-3414 Consumer Inquires:(800) 532-4440 FDA FOOD LABEL WINS PRESIDENTIAL DESIGN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD On October 30, 1997, representatives of the Food and Drug Administration received the Presidential Design Achievement Award for the "Nutrition Facts" panel found on virtually all food labels. The FDA officials, along with officials from 8 other federal organizations were presented with the award by Mrs. Tipper Gore, on behalf of President and Mrs. Clinton. The nine winners of this Presidential Award were selected out 400 entrants by a blue ribbon panel of architects, artists and other design experts. Only 31 of these Presidential Awards for Design Excellence have been bestowed since their creation in 1983. The Award recognizes exemplary achievements in Federal design in such areas as architecture, interior design, urban planning and graphic design. The FDA's "Nutrition Facts" Panel was selected because it was deemed to have been a very useful, consumer-friendly design for providing consumers with accurate nutrition information about the foods they buy and consume. The "Nutrition Facts" panel has been required on virtually all food labels since August 1994. It is estimated that more than 300 billion food product containers now bear this format, and national surveys reveal its wide acceptance and use by the general public. In fact, almost 80 percent of consumers surveyed, reported checking the new food label when buying new food products. ####
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