Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label

1. Serving Size/Servings per Container:

The serving size is now standardized to help you more easily compare similar food items.  The serving size is based the amount one would actually eat.  The measure for the serving size is given in common household measures, such as 1 cup, and in metric units, such as grams (g) and milliliters (mL).  All of the nutritional information contained on the Nutrition Facts label refers to the serving size indicated at the top of the label.  This part of the Nutrition Facts label also indicates how many servings are actually contained in that product.


2. Calories/Calories from Fat:


This is a quick-glance item that lets you assess the number of calories per serving, and how many of those calories are from fat.  If you’re good at numbers, this information also allows you to calculate the percent total calories from fat.  For example, if 1 serving is 50 calories and 25 of those calories are from fat, this would mean that food item is 50% fat (25 fat calories divided by 50 total calories times 100 to give percent).


3. % (Percent) Daily Value:

This section shows how much of a particular nutrient is in the food product and how much 1 serving of this product contributes to the total daily recommended intake for that nutrient.  The percent daily value given is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.  Your needs will vary depending on whether you require more or less calories each day.  What this information offers you, is a quick way to assess if a particular food item is high or low in a nutrient.  For example, if you are trying to limit your sodium intake you can look at the milligrams (mg) of sodium in two different cans of soup and determine which one would be lower in sodium for the same serving size.


4. Vitamins and Minerals:
This section will always give you the values for vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.  If a food product has been fortified or supplemented with different nutrients, these will also be listed under this section.  Next time you are in the cereal aisle of your supermarket, look at the food label of some of the cereals.  Because many cereals have been fortified with vitamins and minerals, this section of their food label is quite extensive.


5. Description of Percent Daily Values:
This section shows you what number the percent daily values are based on for both a 2,000 and a 2,500 calorie diet.  As you can see, for two of the values (cholesterol and sodium) the maximum amount recommended does not change with calories consumed.  This is because the recommended maximum amount of sodium (2,400 mg) and cholesterol (300 mg) consumed per day is the same for all adults regardless of how many calories you eat.  All of the other values are based on percent of total calories:


• Fat based on 30 percent of calories
• Saturated fat based on 10 percent of calories
• Carbohydrate based on 60 percent of calories
• Protein based on 10 percent of calories (applies only to adults and children over 4 years old)
• Fiber based on 11.5 g per 1,000 calories


For more information on this subject go to http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html.  As an exercise, next time you are at the supermarket compare the food labels of some of your favorite foods and see what similarities and differences you find in their nutrient contents.