FDA's New Online "Snack Shack" in Whyville Teaches Youth about the Nutrition Facts Label
Constituent Update
March 15, 2016
This month is National Nutrition Month® and to mark the occasion, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing the launch of Snack Shack, a new destination in the popular Whyville online community. Snack Shack gives kids hands-on experience in understanding and using the Nutrition Facts Label as a tool to compare snacks, make smart food choices, and build healthy lifelong habits.
The Snack Shack includes two interactive games that teach Whyville “citizens” to understand the Nutrition Facts Label and practice using it.
- Label Lingo introduces players to the Nutrition Facts Label and its various elements. A series of “challenge” rounds quiz players about each label element. For example, “Choose the food that has the lowest % Daily Value of sodium.” Hints are available to offer helpful tips when needed.
- Snack Sort builds upon key knowledge from Label Lingo and lets players collaborate with other citizens. Players sort and rank colorful cartoon foods in the Snack Shack pantry, using the Nutrition Facts Label for reference.
FDA is proposing to update the Nutrition Facts Label for packaged foods, and the Whyville Snack Shack games will be updated accordingly in the future. For more information, see Proposed Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label.
Whyville is an award winning website that hosts a virtual world where children ages 8 to 15 play, explore, create, and learn together. This virtual world fosters creativity, initiative, critical thinking and entrepreneurial spirit, all within a safe, monitored environment.
For More Information
®2016 eatright.org. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics