Navigating the Nutrition Facts Label
Have you ever turned a packaged food over and had no idea what to decipher from all the numbers and confusing words on the nutrition facts label?
· If we want to eat more fiber in our diet, we can look at the nutrition facts label to decide if a serving of a specific item is high or low in fiber by looking at the dietary fiber amount.
· On the other hand, if we want to eat less salt, we can also look at the nutrition facts label to see if an item has high or low sodium content. If there is a high amount, we might consume less of that item.
The picture below shows the basics of the nutrition facts label and what each part means.
New changes are coming to the nutrition facts panel to make the information easier to understand and updated to better reflect American eating behavior today. Larger font, bold words, ‘added sugars’, vitamin C and Potassium content and a ‘Per container’ column are all new changes that you might start seeing on the new label.
Here are some key points to remember when looking at the nutrition facts label:
· Pay attention to the serving size on the package. The facts label represents the nutrients in that serving size so if we eat more than 1 serving then we are eating more of what the label says
· Trans fat can be labeled as 0g if there is 0.5g or less. Use the ingredients list to determine if the product contains trans fats by looking for the word “hydrogenated”
· Nutrients with greater than 20% daily value are considered a high content
· Nutrients with 5% daily value or less are considered low content
· Check the ingredients list for hidden sugars under less common names such as high fructose corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, corn syrup, maple syrup, and honey
· The ingredients list tells us everything that was used to create the product and are listed by weight, with the most used items at the top
· The food label is required to disclose potential allergens that are in the item. This is usually listed below the ingredients list
The nutrition facts label is required on all packaged food to help us make informed decisions about what we eat. This helps us determine whether a product contains more or less of a certain nutrient that we are looking for.
For example: · If we want to eat more fiber in our diet, we can look at the nutrition facts label to decide if a serving of a specific item is high or low in fiber by looking at the dietary fiber amount.
· On the other hand, if we want to eat less salt, we can also look at the nutrition facts label to see if an item has high or low sodium content. If there is a high amount, we might consume less of that item.
The picture below shows the basics of the nutrition facts label and what each part means.
· Pay attention to the serving size on the package. The facts label represents the nutrients in that serving size so if we eat more than 1 serving then we are eating more of what the label says
· Trans fat can be labeled as 0g if there is 0.5g or less. Use the ingredients list to determine if the product contains trans fats by looking for the word “hydrogenated”
· Nutrients with greater than 20% daily value are considered a high content
· Nutrients with 5% daily value or less are considered low content
· Check the ingredients list for hidden sugars under less common names such as high fructose corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, corn syrup, maple syrup, and honey
· The ingredients list tells us everything that was used to create the product and are listed by weight, with the most used items at the top
· The food label is required to disclose potential allergens that are in the item. This is usually listed below the ingredients list
Staying informed and understanding the components of the nutrition facts label help us to make decisions and be in control of what we eat. Labels can appear deceiving sometimes when they include nutrient and health claims that make the product very appealing. It’s important to know what the nutrition facts information means so you can make your own educated choice on the product.
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United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2017a). Changes to the nutrition facts label. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/guidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2017b). How to understand and use the nutrition facts label. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm.
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