Food packaging should have information on the front relating to nutrition, but it should be confined to four major negative nutrients, according toa new reportfrom the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The report from the Institute of Medicine recommended saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and calories as the four aspects of food that should be spelled out in standardized form on the front labels or panels of food packages. The system recommended in the report would emphasize nutrients that most consumers seek to reduce or avoid, rather than the vitamins or other “positive nutrients” that usually get touted. The Institute of Medicine undertook the study in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and with the support of the Food and Drug Administration, which has previously stated its intention to issue regulations on front-of-package nutrition claims.