FOOD LABELLING
INTERNATIONAL
FOOD SAFETY CONSULTANCY
DR WILLEM MARSMAN
How can I use the food
label quickly and easily?
How should I use the %DV
column on the food label?
How can I use the food label
to reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in my diet?
How can people with
diabetes use the food label to help with their diets?
How can the food label
help people on special diets?
How can I use the new food label quickly and easily?
The labels contain a new nutritional reference tool called the %Daily Value that tells you whether a food is high or low in a nutrient like fat, sodium or cholesterol. A simple rule of thumb to follow is that if the %Daily Value is 5% or less for a particular nutrient, that food is low in that nutrient. The goal is to choose foods that together add up to no more than 100% of fat, cholesterol and sodium and at least 100% of nutrients such as fibre and calcium. In addition to the "Nutrition Facts" panel on the side or back of the package, you can check the health and nutrient claims on the front of the product.
How should I use the %Daily Value (%DV) column on the food label?
By using the %Daily Values, you can easily determine whether a food contributes a lot or a little of a particular nutrient. And you can compare different foods with no need to do any calculations. A high percentage means the food contains a lot of a nutrient and a low percentage means it contains a little.
Look to see whether the nutrients most of us need more of (such as total carbohydrates, dietary fibre, and certain vitamins and minerals) have high percentages. Look to see whether the nutrients most of us need to limit (such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and for some people, sodium) have low percentages.
The goal is to choose foods that together give you close to 100 percent of each nutrient for a day, or average about 100 percent a day over a few days, depending on the nutrient.
For example, if your goal is 2,000 calories, your total fat intake would be no more than 65 grams, the upper limit recommend for a 2,00 calorie daily diet. If the food you're preparing has 16 grams for fat per serving and shows the %Daily Value for total fat per serving at 25 percent, then you know that all the other foods you eat that day should total 75 percent or less of the Daily Value for total fat (or 49 grams of fat).
You can use the %Daily Value column to easily compare one product to another. If you want to lower the fat in your diet, you can compare products and select the ones with the lower %. You can also use the %Daily Value to make dietary trade-offs with other foods throughout the day. This means you don't have to deprive yourself of a favourite food that might be high in fat, if you watch what else you eat the rest of the day.
How can I use the food label to reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in my diet?
Some of the label information, such as that about fat - particularly saturated fat and cholesterol, will be of special interest to people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease.
High intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to high blood cholesterol, which in turn is linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is the most common form of heart disease and is caused by narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart.
For the general population, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that fat intake be limited to no more than 30 percent of the day's total calorie intake. Saturated fat intake should be limited to no more than 10 percent of the day's calories. The Daily Values used in food labelling follow these same guidelines.
Thus, people eating 2,000 calories a day should limit their daily fat intake to no more than 65 grams (g): (30 percent times 2,000 calories = 600 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 65g). They should limit saturated fat intake to no more than 20g a day. (10 percent times 2,000 calories = 200 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 20g.)
The 2,00 calorie level is the basis on which %Daily Values on the label are calculated. This level was chosen partly because it is a "user friendly" number that allows for easy adjustments in Daily Value numbers, if consumers want to figure them to their own diet and calorie intakes.
The Daily Value for cholesterol is 300 milligrams (mg). It remains the same whatever the person's calorie intake. FDA and USDA chose this level because it corresponds to the recommendations of other health organisations, such as the American Heart Association, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institutes of Health.
People with severe high blood cholesterol levels or heart disease may need to limit their total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intakes even further. Camille Brewer, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in FDA's Office of Food Labelling, advises people with specific health problems that require a low fat, low cholesterol diet to see a physician, registered dietitian, or nutritionist first. These professionals can help tailor a diet to a person's specific health needs.
The place to look for whether a food is relatively high or low in a nutrient is in the %Daily Value column on the Nutrition Facts panel, usually on the side or back of the food package. For people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease, the %Daily Value for fat (especially saturated fat), cholesterol, and fibre are important.
If, for individual foods, the %Daily Value is 5 or less, the food is generally considered low in that nutrient. The more foods chosen that have a %Daily Value of 5 or less for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, the easier it is to eat a healthier daily diet. Foods with 10 percent or more of the Daily Value for fibre are considered good sources of that dietary component.
The overall goal should be to select foods that together do not exceed 100% of the Daily Value for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, but that will meet or exceed 100% for other nutrients (like calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C).
The serving size information on the Nutrition Facts panel also is important. It tells the amount of food, stated in both common household and metric measures, to which all other numbers apply.
Unlike before, serving sizes now are more uniform among similar products and reflect the amounts people actually eat. For example, the reference amount for a serving of snack crackers is 30g. So, the serving size for soda crackers is 10, while the serving size for Goldfish crackers is 55, because those amounts are the ones that come closest to weighing 30g.
The uniform serving size makes it easy to compare the nutritional qualities of related foods.
On some food packages, short label statements describing the food's nutritional benefits may appear. Often, they will be on the front label, where shoppers can readily see them.
These statements, like "low in saturated fat" and "no cholesterol", are called nutrient content claims. They are used to highlight foods with desirable levels of nutrients.
Other statements are health claims, FDA approved nine of them, two of which relate to heart disease. These two can state that:
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
A diet high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fibre, particularly soluble fibre, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
These health claims also must state that the risk of coronary heart disease depends on many factors.
Both types of claims signal that the food contains desirable levels of the stated nutrients.
How can people with diabetes use the food label to help with their diets?
How beneficial the new label will be for people with diabetes depends on the type of meal plan they follow. Today, diabetes experts no longer recommend a single diet for all people with diabetes. Instead, they advocate dietary regimes that are flexible and take into account a person's lifestyle and particular health needs.
The American Diabetes Association recommends these general dietary guidelines for people with diabetes:
Limit fat to 30 percent or less of daily calories.
Limit saturated fat to 10 percent or less of daily calories.
Limit protein to 10 to 20 percent of daily calories. For those with signs of diabetes - induced kidney disease, restrict protein to 10 percent of daily calories.
Limit cholesterol to 300 milligrams or less daily.
Consume about 20 to 35 grams of fibre daily.
Most of these guidelines are a good idea for the general population, as well.
Considering these factors, how should people with diabetes go about using the new food label?
They can begin with the Nutrition Facts panel, usually on the side or back of the package. A column headed %Daily Values shows whether a food is high or low in many of the nutrients listed.
People with diabetes should check the %Daily Values for fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. As a rule of thumb, if the number is or less, the food may be considered low in that nutrient.
The goal for most people with diabetes is to pick foods that have low %Daily Values for fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and high %Daily Values for fibre. Other label nutrition information can help people with diabetes see if and how a food fits into their meal plan.
The serving size information gives the amount of food to which all other numbers on the Nutrition Facts panel apply.
Serving sizes now are more uniform among similar products and reflect the amounts people actually eat. For example, the reference amount for a serving of snack crackers is 30g. So, the serving size for soda crackers is 10, while the serving size for Goldfish crackers is 55, because those amounts are the ones that come closest to weighing 30g.
The similarity in serving sizes makes it easier to compare the nutritional qualities of related foods.
People who use the Exchange Lists should be aware that the serving size on the label may not be the same as that in the Exchange Lists. For example, the label serving size for orange juice is 8 fluid ounces (240 milliliters). In the exchange lists, the serving size is 4 ounces (one-half cup) or 120 ml. So, a person who drinks one cup of orange juice has used two fruit exchanges.
The Nutrition Facts panel also give total calories and calories from fat per serving of food. This is helpful for people who count calories and monitor their daily percentage of calories from fat.
The label also gives grams of total carbohydrate, protein and fat.
The values listed for total carbohydrate include all carbohydrate, including dietary fibre and sugars listed below it. Not singled out is complex carbohydrates, such as starches.
The sugars include naturally present sugars, such as lactose in milk and fructose in fruits, and those added to the food, such as table sugar, corn syrup and dextrose.
The listing of grams of protein also is helpful for those restricting their protein intake, either to reduce their risk of kidney disease or to manage the kidney disease they have developed.
Elsewhere on the label, consumers may find claims about the food's nutritional benefits. Often, these nutrient counter claims appear on the front of the package, where shoppers can readily see them. These claims signal that the food contains desirable levels of certain nutrients.
Some claims, such as "low fat", "no saturated fat", and "high fibre" describe nutrient levels. See "A Little 'Lite' Reading", in the June 1993 FDA Consumer). Some of these are particularly interesting to people with diabetes because they highlight foods containing nutrients at beneficial levels.
Other claims, called health claims, show a relationship between a nutrient or food and a disease or health condition. FDA has authorised nine such claims; they are the only ones about which there is significant scientific agreement. There are also other health claims under consideration at this time.
Two that relate to heart disease are of particular interest to people with diabetes:
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
A diet high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fibre, particularly soluble fibre, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Both claims also must state that heart disease depends on many factors.
Nutrient content and health claims can be used only under certain circumstances, such as when the food contains appropriate levels of the stated nutrient. So now, when consumers see claim, they can believe them.
How can the food label help people on special diets?
For many people on special diets, the amount of the nutrient in grams or milligrams is most important because their diets are based on a set amount of one or more nutrients a day specific to their needs - for example, 60 grams (g) of protein, 2,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. Special dieters can find the amount by weight of nutrients listed in the top part of the Nutrition Facts Panel.
Some important points about the Nutrition Facts panel: The values listed for total carbohydrate include all carbohydrates, including dietary fibre and sugar listed below it.
The sugars include naturally present sugars, such as lactose in milk and fructose in fruits, as well as those added to the food, such as table sugar, corn syrup, and dextrose. The label can claim "no sugar added" but still have naturally occurring sugar. An example is fruit juice.
Also, potassium may be listed voluntarily with the nutrients listed on the top part of the panel, just below sodium. Its %Daily Value is based on a recommended intake of 3,500m mg a day.
Other vitamins and minerals may be listed on the Nutrition Facts panel, along with vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.
Amounts of vitamins and minerals are only presented as percentages of the Daily Value.
Calorie information appears at the top of the Nutrition Facts panel, following serving size information. This information is important for those needing to increase or decrease their calories.
The serving size information gives the amount of food to which all the other numbers on the Nutrition Facts panel apply.
Now serving sizes are more uniform among similar products and are designed to reflect the amounts people actually eat. Also, serving sizes must be about the same for the same types of products - for example, different brands of frozen yoghurt and for similar products within a food category, for example, ice cream, ice milk, and sherbet within the category frozen dairy-type desserts.
Having more uniform serving sizes makes it easier to compare the nutritional values of related foods.
People who follow special diets should be aware that the serving size on the label may not be the same as that recommended for their specific needs. For example, the label serving size for cooked fish is 3 ounces (84g). A person following a 60 gram protein diet may be allowed only 1 ounce (28g) of fish at a meal. So, in this case, the nutrient values would have to be divided by 3 to determine the nutritional content of the 1 ounce portion eaten.