Whether you’re looking to lose weight, reduce your sugar intake, eat organic, non-GMO foods, or you’re simply health-conscious, food labels and Nutrition Facts are valuable resources that can help you make informed decisions about your diet. In July 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated an updated Nutrition Facts label for the first time since 1990. While the new labels look similar, they include important changes that we’ll explain here.
What Is a Food Label?
The Nutrition Facts label is the black and white, rectangular-shaped label found on packaged food products. It specifies serving sizes, number of calories, ingredients, and the food’s nutritional breakdown, making it a tool you can use to make informed decisions about the food you eat.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, unless packaged in bulk, generally don’t have a Nutrition Facts label. However, they are typically labeled with price look-up (PLU) codes, which are the small stickers affixed to apples, bananas, and the like. PLU code stickers can tell you whether produce is organic or conventionally grown. The USDA also has a food nutrition database and food nutrition chart that is helpful when evaluating foods.
Why Is It Important To Read Food Labels?
Food labels provide vital information about ingredients, serving sizes, calories, nutritional information, and food allergens. Reading them should be the first step when deciding which foods to purchase. The amount and type of food you eat have a tremendous impact on your overall wellness. Whether you’re trying to maintain good health or improve your health, food labels provide the information necessary to help you compare products and make smart dietary choices. They’re designed to be clear and easy-to-read, so with a little know-how and context, you can become an expert at understanding and analyzing the labels.
How Do I Read the Nutrition Facts Labels?
The Nutrition Facts label is made up of five sections:
Serving Size
Starting from the top, below the phrase “Nutrition Facts,” you’ll find the serving size for the food and its measurement, which is often in grams, ounces, or cups. You’ll also see the number of servings in the container. Understanding serving sizes will help you decide how much you should eat. For example, if you eat half of a bag of snacks in one sitting, you’ll need to multiply the number of calories and other nutrients shown on the label by the number of servings you consumed.
Calories Per Serving
The next section lists calories per serving on the left side and calories from fat on the right side. According to the FDA, foods with 40 calories or less are low-calorie foods, foods with 100 calories are moderate, and high-calorie foods are those with 400 calories or more.
Macronutrients, Sodium, and Cholesterol
Following the calories, you’ll find a breakdown of the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein, as well as a few other important substances – namely salt (sodium) and cholesterol. Total fat is broken down further into saturated fat and trans fat. Next comes cholesterol, followed by sodium, potassium, total carbohydrates (categorized as dietary fiber and sugars), and protein. The % Daily Value for each is listed on the right side of the column.
Vitamins and Minerals
Underneath the macronutrient section, the label has a thick line, followed by a listing of % Daily Value of certain vitamins and minerals, which vary by food. The labels also list the amount of each vitamin and mineral, a change from the old labels. Foods may contain more vitamins and minerals than what is required to be listed on the label.
Footnote
In the footnote, the FDA requires this statement: “The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”
What About the Ingredients?
Ingredients are usually listed below the Nutrition Facts label, in order of decreasing quantity. The first item listed is the most abundant, followed by the second most abundant, and so on. For example, if a label for packaged guacamole lists the first ingredient as avocado, the product is made up mostly of avocado. The same goes for products that contain high fructose corn syrup in the first few ingredients.
What Does Daily Value (DV) and % Daily Value Mean?
Daily Value is the recommended daily amount of a substance that the FDA suggests an average person on a 2,000-calorie diet should consume. % Daily Value (% DV) means the percentage of the recommended daily value this particular food contains.
The Nutrition Facts label includes a “% Daily Value (% DV)” column on the right side of the label, showing the percentage of each nutrient in that food, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. From this information, you can determine if a particular food has too much sodium or cholesterol for your needs, or has a healthy amount of dietary fiber, for example.
When reading Nutrition Facts labels, 5% DV or less is considered low for a nutrient while 20% DV or more is high. It’s a good idea to read these numbers carefully because fiber and iron, for example, are essential nutrients, while things like cholesterol or sugar are best limited.
You’ll notice that protein, sugar, and trans fat do not have a % DV. Although a diet high in trans fat and sugar has been linked to weight gain, high cholesterol, and heart disease, the FDA doesn’t include a % DV because they had not established official guidelines for how much people should consume for a healthy diet – although this is changing in the new food labels.
When it comes to protein, a food manufacturer is only required to list % DV if the product makes a health claim such as “high in protein,” or something similar, or the food is meant for children under four.
A Brand New Food Label as of 2020
The last time the Nutrition Facts label was fully updated was in 1993. Since then, health experts have learned a lot more about the specific nutrients we need, ingredients we should avoid, and how much a typical person consumes.
The FDA required manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales to use the new food label by 2020 and smaller food manufacturers by 2021. These labeling requirements will affect imported foods, as well.
How Will the New Food Label Be Different?
The FDA requires that all food and drink manufacturers use the new Nutrition Facts label. The new label is based on new science, research about nutrition and public health, updated recommendations from health experts, and consumer feedback.
Slight Change in Design But Keeping the Look
The Nutrition Facts labels keep the same overall look, but font size will increase for calories, servings per container, and serving size. The number of calories and serving size will both now be in a bold font.
Different Minerals and Nutrients Required
Food manufacturers must now include both the actual amount in grams plus the % Daily Value for vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium, but it will now be optional for them to include the amount or % DV for vitamins A, C, and other vitamins and minerals.
These changes came about because Americans fall short when it comes to getting enough vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium in their diets. Vitamin D is important for bone health, and potassium plays a role in keeping blood pressure lowered. On the other hand, most people now get enough vitamin A and C.
New Footnote Explanation
The footnote section states: “The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”
A New Line For Added Sugar
Food labels will soon be required to include an additional line for added sugar, which is sugar that was not a natural part of the food but was added. The added sugar will be listed in both grams and as % Daily Value.
All major health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Institute of Medicine (IOM), American Heart Association (AHA), and The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), agree that added sugar should be reduced in our diets. The FDA states: “…it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie requirements if you consume more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from added sugars.” With a little knowledge and planning, you can obtain the calories and nutrients you need without added sugar.