Nutrition, the study of biology dealing with the consumption of substances necessary for normal body functions, affects all other medical sciences. Improper nutrition can cause starvation, disease and even death. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 provides recommendations on how to meet nutrition standards to maintain proper health and reduce the risk for chronic diseases. You can monitor your nutrient intake by reading nutrition labels. Although the US Food and Drug Administration provides regulations on nutrition labeling, the accuracy of the labels depends upon each manufacturer.
Determining Nutrient Content
Most packaged foods must accurately display the nutrient content in a square box containing the heading "Nutrient Facts." Some exceptions include foods manufactured by small companies defined as not more than $500,000 in sales to consumers, foods served in restaurants, foods packaged ready-to-eat such as meals served on an airplane and food packages used in institutions where the consumer never sees the package provided that in each of these instances the food bears no other nutritional claims or information. The FDA collects random samples of food products and will notify a company about a product found out of compliance.
Use of Averages
The regulations set forth by the FDA specify what nutrients to include on nutrition labels but does not specify how the company must determine their nutrient content. A company may utilize average values as determined from food product databases. When doing this the company should use a database previously accepted by the FDA because the ultimate responsibility for accuracy lies with the company.
Mandatory Nutrients
Any food that provides nutritional value must carry the nutrition label. Foods like coffee, artificial sweeteners and spices that offer no significant nutrition do not need a nutrition label. Nutrition labels must provide the number of calories, labeled as "total calories" or just "calories," per serving size, which also must be stated on the label. The label must also include the total amount of fat and the amount of each type of fat including polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat and trans fat. The number of calories from both saturated fat and trans fat must also be included. Other required nutrients include total carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, dietary fiber, sugars and protein. Manufacturers must also declare the percent daily value for vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
Voluntary Nutrients
Manufacturers can include other nutrients on the nutrition label. Voluntary nutrients include potassium, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, sugar alcohol and other carbohydrate. Vitamins and minerals added as a supplement, such as thiamine or riboflavin added to a cereal, should also appear on the nutrition label.
Accuracy
The FDA provides regulations to guide food manufacturers and encourage them to work diligently to provide accurate nutrition information. Because the responsibility lies with each manufacturer, there may be instances where nutrition labels are not completely accurate. Also, if you are trying to accurately track your nutrient intake there may be foods that do not label all nutrients. For example, foods made using enriched flour, which contains added thiamin, riboflavin and niacin do not need to declare the specific amounts of those nutrients contributed by the flour, according to the code of federal regulations.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 -- Chapter 1; February 2011
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; What is Nutrition?; May 2003
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Nutrition Labeling; October 2009
- National Archives and Records Administration; Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 -- Food and Drugs; May 2011
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