Lesson 1.06 Reading Food Labels

Food labeling for all foods is governed by the USDA. More specifically, packaged foods are governed by the Food and Drug Association (FDA). The most recent update of the nutrition education and labeling act was established in 1990, and labels themselves last updated in 1999. The new label makes it easier for people to understand the basic nutrient profile of the foods they are buying. This is helpful to people who are on special diets, or just need to know how many calories are coming from fat. The items listed on the nutrition facts label are designed to help educate consumers in relation to today's health concerns. Even the order in which the nutrients appear on the label reflects the priority of current dietary recommendations.

If your school grants access to YouTube, watch The Food Label & You (28:47) (scroll down on the FDA page to see the video). If not, watch an older version of the video, Food Label and You (7:53) instead.

Not all foods require a label, however. Foods made ready to eat, as in a restaurant or in the deli counter at your local grocery store, as well as  coffee, tea, and selected herbs do not need a label. Small companies that produce and distribute very small amounts of their product also do not require a label.

 

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Let's take a look at how to read a food (nutrition facts) label.

Serving Size: This is the amount people typically eat. It is important to look at this because there may be more than one serving in an item. Sometimes, especially with convenience foods, there are several servings in a package. To find out what is contained in the entire package, multiply the listed nutrition information by the number of servings. It is also important to note that with some foods that need to be cooked (like rice, for example), the serving size on the package is of the dry product, before cooking.

Calories from Fat: This is the total calories in a product that come from fat.
Example: If you have a can of soup that is 100 calories and the calories from fat are 25, you can calculate that the item has 25% of its calories from fat, and is therefore relatively low in fat. From there, check the type of fat; make sure that it is not all from saturated fat.

 

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Apart from serving size and servings per container, the label must contain the amount for the following nutrients; the one indicated with an asterisk (*) are mandatory. The others are listed if the manufacturer so chooses (which they often do to display how "nutritious" their product is). It is also important to note that the nutrients must be listed in the following order:

• Total calories*
• Calories from fat*
• Calories from saturated fat
• Total fat*
• Saturated fat*
• Polyunsaturated fat
• Monounsaturated fat
• Cholesterol*
• Sodium*
• Potassium
• Total carbohydrate*
• Dietary fiber*
• Soluble fiber
• Insoluble fiber
• Sugars*
• Sugar alcohol (for example, the sugar substitutes xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol)
• Other carbohydrates (the difference between total carbohydrate and the sum of dietary fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol if declared)
• Protein*
• Vitamin A*
• Percent of vitamin A present as beta-carotene*
• Vitamin C*
• Calcium*
• Iron*

You will notice on the example of the food label that these nutrients are listed in percentage of Daily Value. These Daily Values for each nutrient are set by the FDA and are based on the current nutrition recommendations for a 2,000 calorie diet although sometimes the values are provided for both a 2,000 calorie diet and a 2,500 calorie diet.

If you are following a 2,000 calorie diet and the food facts label says Vitamin A 20%, this tells you that the item contains 20% of the vitamin A you need for that day. If you only need 1,500 calories in a day, you would base your Daily Values on 75% of each nutrient.

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Each product should list the ingredients on the label. They are listed from largest to smallest amount (by weight). This means a food contains the largest amount of the first ingredient and the smallest amount of the last ingredient.

You can go to the Food and Drug Administration website and read more information about food labeling.

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Another aspect of food labeling is label claims. Some food labels make claims such as low cholesterol or low fat. These claims can only be used if a food meets strict government definitions. Here are some of the meanings:

Simplified Label Format

You will notice as you start to look at food labels, that some labels contain only basic information. This is because the nutrients normally required to be on the label are not in a significant amount. However, the minimum required information needed is

• Calories,
• Total Fat,
• Sodium,
• Total Carbohydrates and
• Protein.

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Organic vs. Natural

With growing concerns about pesticides in the production of crops and the effects these chemicals may have on our bodies, people are becoming more interested in buying "natural" or "organic" products. But what do these terms mean?

The term natural means that the product is free from synthetic ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or preservatives.

For a product to be called organic, the USDA has strict policies about how the crops are grown or the animals are treated. Regarding crops, there can be no pesticides, fertilizers, or bioengineering used. Regarding animals, no antibiotics or growth hormones may be administered. If 95% of the ingredients a manufacturer uses in their product are from organic sources, they can put the word "organic" on the label. These strict standards for crop cultivation and regulating how animals are fed are regulated by the USDA.

A manufacturer can advertise made with organic ingredients if the product is made with at least 70% organic ingredients. The ingredients that are organic must be mentioned in the ingredient list on the package.

A product can be labeled certified organic if it is made with 100% organic ingredients.

Whole Grains

Grains are the seeds of certain plants. The seed, or kernel, is made up of three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ - all of which contain valuable nutrients that play an important role in your diet. Products using the term whole grain must use the entire part of the grain. In a list of ingredients, it is usually the first listed. It will be listed as whole grain.

 

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