What Is Purpose Of Food Labels?

Most foods you purchase in the grocery store are legally required to have a food label. These labels contain lots of useful information that can help you choose the best foods for a healthy diet if you know how to use them properly, and help you avoid those that you should not be eating.

Nutrition Information

Food labels provide you with important information for making nutritional decisions. This includes information on the amount of calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar and protein per serving of a food. The amounts of certain vitamins and minerals are also included, with information on calcium, vitamin C, iron and vitamin A required, and information on other vitamins and minerals listed at the discretion of the manufacturer.

Ingredients

Another purpose of food labels is to tell you what ingredients are in the food. This is especially important for people who have allergies. The most common allergens are listed separately to make it clear they are in the product because they may be listed in the ingredients under other names. The ingredients list can also help you avoid foods with ingredients that are not as healthy, such as hydrogenated oils, or choose foods that are healthier, such as those with whole grains. Food labels list ingredients starting with those making up the highest percentage of the food by weight first and going down in descending order.

Nutrition Claims

Manufacturers also use food labels to make nutrition claims. Those that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, can help you make good choices about which foods to eat, and include sugar-free, reduced-sugar, fat-free, low-fat, reduced-fat, sodium-free, light, reduced-calorie, low-calorie, low-cholesterol and cholesterol-free.

Other Claims

If a food is organic, or made with organic ingredients, this will be stated on the label, according to the rules set by the National Organic Program. The FDA has also approved a few health claims for use on food labels. Scientific evidence is strong for these claims, which include information on fat and cancer, fruits and vegetables and cancer, calcium and osteoporosis, and sodium and high blood pressure.