That little box on the back of food packaging that details the nutritional value of what's inside is getting a major makeover. The premises and scientific underpinnings of the “Nutrition Facts Label” have not changed since 1993, but our eating habits and nutrition knowledge certainly have.

“For more than 20 years, Americans have relied on the Nutrition Facts label as a leading source of information regarding calories, fat and other nutrients to help them understand more about the foods they eat in a day,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D. “The updated label makes improvements to this valuable resource so consumers can make more informed food choices – one of the most important steps a person can take to reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity.”

One neat change is the requirement for serving sizes that more closely reflect the amounts of food that people currently eat. For example, up until these new regulations, a serving size of ice cream was considered to be a half-cup. The new labels take into consideration how much we typically love our frozen desserts and list the serving size as two-thirds of a cup.

The recommended daily allowances of the ingredients will also be updated to reflect the most up-to-date research. We know now that we need more fiber in our diets, so the RDA for it will go from 25 to 28 grams on each label. Values are being updated for sodium and vitamin D as well, while listings for vitamins A and C will no longer be required because deficiencies of these vitamins are rare. “Calories from Fat” will be removed because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount. “Total Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” will continue to be required.

As you might expect, doctors and nutrition professionals are cheering the new labels, while food manufacturers and packagers are less than enthusiastic. The sugar industry is particularly reeling. A new line on the labels will boldly proclaim the amount of added sugar the food product contains. Currently, the average American eats about 115 grams (23 teaspoons) of added sugar each day. The new daily value listed for added sugar will be 50 grams -- less than half that amount!

The Sugar Association has said there’s no scientific basis for distinguishing between added sugars and those that are naturally in foods. They also say there’s no evidence that labeling these sugars will help people improve the quality of their diets.

But Laura MacCleery, director of regulatory affairs for the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., has a different perspective, noting “The line for added sugars is just a revelation. We’ll be able to see how much sugar in yogurt is naturally there from milk sugar and how much is added to sweeten it.”

The label design will be “dual-columned,” with one side giving the per-serving data and the other reflecting he contents of the entire package – a useful and sobering addition for those of us accustomed to viewing the full liter of Mountain Dew as our “breakfast beverage.” For packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20 ounce soda, the calories and other nutrients will be labeled as one serving because people typically consume it in one sitting.

Most food manufacturers will be required to use the new label by July 26, 2018. Manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply with the new rules. The Nutrition Facts label regulations apply to packaged foods except certain meat, poultry and processed egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.