Most commercially prepared, packaged foods are required by law to display a "Nutrition Facts" panel and a list of all ingredients on the label. The information on the food label tells consumers the serving size, how many servings per package and how many calories per serving. The food label also indicates which major nutrients the food contributes to a daily diet, and in what amounts.
Requirements
The Food and Drug Administration's, or FDA, Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act regulates food labeling. The regulations specify which foods must provide food and nutrition information on the label, what type of information must be displayed and where, and even the type size of the lettering so that the information is clear and easy for the consumer to read. Canned, frozen, bottled and otherwise packaged foods, such as breads, cookies, crackers and pasta, all carry nutrition and ingredient labels. Raw fruits, vegetables and fish are not required to have labels.
Features
The ingredients list on a food label lists every ingredient in that food in descending order, from biggest to smallest amount. The Nutrition Facts panel on a food label displays the standard serving size for that food, number of calories per serving and amounts of significant nutrients, including total fat, saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber, sodium and other specific vitamins and minerals in a single serving of that food. In addition to the amounts of nutrients, the food label provides the percent daily value, which tells the consumer how much of each nutrient the food provides as a percentage of the daily value (DV), or daily recommended amount per federal standards.
Significance
The ingredient list helps the consumer determine if a food contains ingredients that are acceptable to the consumer and if those ingredients occur in acceptable amounts. For instance, if a particular type of sweetener is among the first ingredients listed, it means that food contains more of that sweetener by weight than any of the other ingredients that follow on the list.
Using the percent DV from the Nutrition Facts label helps the consumer determine whether a food contributes a significant amount of important nutrients that support good health and must come from the diet, such as fiber, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. At the same time, the percent DV tells the consumer if a food is particularly high in a nutrient that should be limited in the diet, such as fat, saturated fat and sodium. The closer the percentage is to 100 percent, the more of that nutrient a single serving of the food provides.
Claims
Some food labels make health and nutrition claims, such as "light" "or "high in vitamin C and calcium." To make these claims, the food or a nutrient or other substance in the food must meet specific nutritional standards established by the Food and Drug Administration for "light" and "high" claims. For instance, if the label on a juice drink claims to be high in calcium, it means a serving of that drink contains at least 20 percent of the DV for calcium. A product that claims to be "light" must be nutritionally improved compared with the average same-type product.
Benefits
The nutrition information provided on food labels gives consumers the information they need to choose foods that may help them lose weight and fight chronic disease. The ingredient list on food packaging helps consumers avoid foods and additives that may cause allergic reactions or otherwise be detrimental to good health.
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