Deciphering the Nutrition Facts Label
by Dana Denis, MSPH., RD (topic expert: nutrition)

Understanding the Nutrition Facts Panel allows you to make informed decisions, but how do you translate the label information to what you eat?

The Serving Size

The first important question is, "How much is a serving and how many servings are in the package?"

Serving sizes are usually similar to the amount people typically eat. In our example it is 3 oz, but is that how much you eat? You need to know this information before you can determine the amount of nutrients it will provide.

Calories and Calories from Fat

Calories are a measure of the energy you receive from food. So the amount of energy or calories provided depends upon the number of servings you eat.

In the sample label, if you ate 6 oz., rather than 3 oz., you would need to double all the nutrients listed on the label. That means you would have consumed 360 calories. Too many calories can lead to excessive weight gain.

The amount of calories from fat is listed next. In our sample label there are 110 calories from fat and a total of 180 calories; so 61% of the calories come from fat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends your daily calorie intake from fat should average no more than 30%. So can this product fit into the Guidelines and be part of a healthy diet? Yes, but you must balance it with other foods in that meal and throughout your day that are lower in fat.

% Daily Value

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compiled the Daily Reference Values (DRV) for 8 food components and the Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) for another 25 nutrients. These references state the recommended total intake of these nutrients for healthy people. It would be very difficult for you to remember that you need 60mg of Vitamin C and 5,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin A.

To simplify the information on the food label the Percent Daily Value was established. By stating the amount of nutrients in the form of a percent, the consumer does not need to know the actual required amount of each nutrient.

In our sample, the label states one serving provides 10% of the daily iron requirements. You now know you will need another 90% throughout the day to meet 100% of the recommended intake for iron. By reviewing the labels of other foods you eat and adding the percentages, you will know when you achieve this.

The %DV also allows you to compare similar products for nutrients of interest. For example, if you are trying to increase calcium, you can compare the %DV of various yogurt products to see which one provides the most calcium for the same serving size.

The * after % Daily Value leads the consumer to a footnote toward the bottom stating the percent daily value is based on a 2000 calorie diet. Therefore, if you consume less than 2000 calories, you will need less of these nutrients. Conversely, if you require more calories your requirements of some nutrients will increase.

Fats

Fat is one of the nutrients we would like to limit in our diet, especially saturated fat, trans fatty acids and cholesterol. SinceJanuary 1, 2006 trans fatty acid content must be included on labels just below saturated fat. The total amount of fat on the sample label is 12 grams with 4 grams from saturated fat and 1.5 grams from trans fatty acids.

The trans fatty acids will not have an associated % daily value. The goal is to keep the amount as low as possible. The % daily value for fat in this product is 18%. This tells you that throughout the rest of your day you should have no more than 82% of this nutrient, if your portion size was 3 oz. If you ate 6 oz. you should limit other food items to add up to no more than 64% to reach the recommended limit.

Carbohydrates and Protein

Carbohydrates must be reported as total carbohydrate, as well as broken down into dietary fiber and sugars. The purpose is to maximize the fiber and minimize sugars. Remember that some foods contain natural sugars. Refer to the list of ingredients to verify if sugars are added to the product. The higher on the ingredient list, the larger the amount added, based on weight.

It is not required to list a %DV for protein. If a claim is made, for example "high protein" , then a %DV is mandatory.

Vitamins and Minerals

These are the nutrients we want to maximize in our diet and try to ensure 100% of the daily value intake. The amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron are required on the nutrition label. Other nutrients may be included, but are required only if there is a nutrition claim made or if the product is fortified or enriched. For example, flour is now enriched with folate; therefore, the %DV must be listed on the label when enriched flour is used.

When reviewing a label for nutrient content, the rule of thumb is:

• 20%DV or greater is considered a "high" source for the nutrient,
• 10-19%DV is considered a "good" source and
• 5%DV or less is considered "low" in the nutrient.

Footnote

If the label is large enough, the product will have additional information relating recommended intakes of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate and fiber. It provides guidelines based on either a 2000 or a 2500 calorie diet. This is informational only and does not change product to product.

Note that some nutrients do not change, even with higher or lower calorie intake. The dailyrecommendation for the total amount ofcholesterol is always less than 300mg and less than 2,400mg for sodium.

Additional Information

We have just touched the surface on how to use food labels, but hopefully you have a better understanding of how to use the Nutrition Facts panel. There are numerous rules relating to nutrient content claims, such as "low fat" or "low sodium" ; for health claims and nutrient-disease relationships, such as calcium and osteoporosis; and for ingredient labeling. If you would like more information, check out the FDA website at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html.

References:

1. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance on how to understand and use the nutrition facts panel on food labels. July 2003. Available at: http://www/cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html. Accessed on August 2, 2004.
2. Food and Drug Administration. The food label. May 1999. Available at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdnewlab/html. Accessed on August 2, 2004.
3. Pennington JAT, Hubbard VS. Derivation of daily values used for nutrition labeling. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997; 97:1407-12.