LABEL READING 101 Brought to you by The Colorado School Nutrition Association
Table of Contents Overview & Changes Servings Size Calories Fat Cholesterol Sodium Total Carbohydrates/Sugar/Fiber Protein Vitamins and Minerals Ingredients Allergens Extra
What is the Nutrition Facts Label The Nutrition Facts label is designed to provide information that can help consumers make informed choices about the food they purchase and consume. It is up to consumers to decide what is appropriate for them and their families needs and preferences.
Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label The FDA has mandated a new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect new scientific information Manufacturers will need to use the new label by July 26, 2018
The New Nutrition Facts Label
Changes to the Serving Size On the new Nutrition Facts Label the serving sizes have been updated to reflect what people actually eat and drink. The font is larger and/or in bolder type For example, 12 and 20 ounce bottles will be 1 serving (instead of 2) since people typically drink these bottles in one sitting.
Servings All nutrition fact labels are required to have the number of servings that are contained in the product and what a serving measures. Examples of serving sizes: ½ cup, 1 cup, 2 tsp, 4 ounces, etc.
Serving Examples One must always look closely at both the servings per container and the serving size to know how much is being eaten. How many servings are in this product? What is the serving size?
Serving Examples How many servings are in this product? What is the serving size?
Serving Examples Most cereals serving size is ¾ cup. *NOT a full cup! How many servings are in this product?
Changes to Calories Calories is now larger and bolder.
Calories The calories found on the nutrition facts label are based on a single serving. There can be more than one serving in a container so it s important to note the Serving size in order to correctly calculate the total Calories in a product
Label Math How many calories are in a pint of Ben and Jerry s Dublin Mudslide? 4 servings x 260 calories How many calories are in this bag of Cheetos? 10 servings x 160 calories
Label Math How many calories are in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch? How many calories are in a bag of Wonderful Pistachios?
300 or Less Calorie Examples One apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter Half a cup of frozen yogurt, half a cup of fruit, and 2 tablespoons of walnuts 4 tablespoons of hummus with 30 baby carrots Snickers Bar McDonald s Small Fry
Fat On the New label Calories from Fat has been removed because research has shown that the type of fat consumed is more important than the amount. All labels must include the total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat in a serving. Next to each category of fat, you will find the grams of fat in a serving.
Cholesterol Cholesterol is a required nutrient to be included on a the Nutrition Facts label. When looking at cholesterol we want to use the milligrams (mg) in the product to decipher if this is a high or low cholesterol food.
Sodium Sodium is found on all Nutrition Facts labels because it is a nutrient that some individuals may need to monitor in their diets. Sodium recommendations are based on mg. So you want to look at the mg to find out how much is in the serving.
Carbohydrates Total Carbohydrateincludes the dietary fiber and total sugars in the food.
Changes to Carbohydrates Added Sugars is now required under the Sugar portion of the label. Added sugars are sugars that are added during the processing or packaging of foods: sugars, sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juice. It is recommended to decrease the intake of added sugar to help stay within calorie requirements. The goal would be to consume less than 10% of your total daily calories from added sugar.
Added Sugars Found in Foods Brown sugar Confectioner's powdered sugar Corn syrup Dextrose Fructose High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) Honey Lactose Malt syrup Maltose Maple syrup Molasses Nectars (e.g., peach nectar, pear nectar) Pancake syrup Sucrose Sugar White granulated sugar
Sugar How to Calculate Teaspoons of Sugar 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar Example: Strawberry Pop-tarts have 16 grams of sugar in 1 pastry There are 2 pastries in a package so 16 g x 2 = 32 g 32 g 4
What does 8 teaspoons of sugar look like? There are 16 calories in 1 teaspoon of sugar. 8 teaspoons of sugar in 2 pop-tart pastries would be 128 calories This shows that 128 calories are from sugar alone
Protein Protein is required on a Nutrition Facts Label and it will be given in total grams of protein in a single serving.
Changes to Vitamins and Minerals Calcium and Iron are still a required part of the label Vitamin A & C have been removed since deficiencies in these vitamins are rare. Vitamin D and Potassium have been added. Research shows that Americans are not getting enough of these nutrients.
Footnote and % Daily Value (DV) The % Daily Value helps you understand the nutrition information in the context of a totally daily diet. % Daily Value is based on the nutrient needs of an adult on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Ingredients Products with two or more ingredients are required to list all ingredients on the label The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight What is the is most prevalent ingredient in these Nature Valley granola bars?
Allergens
Allergens All FDA-regulated manufactured food products that contain one of the 8 major food allergens as an ingredient are required by law to list that allergen on the Nutrition Facts Label. There are two ways to list major food allergens: 1. In parentheses following the name of the ingredient. Examples: "lecithin (soy)," "flour (wheat)," and "whey (milk)" OR 2. Immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a "contains" statement. Example: "Contains Wheat, Milk, and Soy."
Gluten What is gluten? A mixture of proteins that occur naturally in wheat, rye, and barley Who does it affect? People with celiac disease. This autoimmune disease causes the body s immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine when gluten is present.
Gluten-Free Labeling In order to label a food gluten-free the food cannot contain: Wheat, rye, or barley More than 20 parts per million gluten Foods that don t inherently have gluten can use the glutenfree such as bottled water, fruits, vegetables, and eggs.
Whole Grain FDA considers "whole grain" to include cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the entire grain. This includes: the endosperm, germ and bran. Some examples of whole grains are barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet, rice, rye, oats, and wheat. When these components are refined it results in a loss of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that half of the grain consumed be whole grains.
Bread Myths If the bread label has the word wheat in it then it must be healthy. If the first ingredient listed is wheat flour or enriched bleached flour it does not have as much fiber as whole-wheat flour. The best option is 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain.
Bread Myths Breads that have labels that say multigrain or 100% natural are the whole grain products and are better choices. Some of these products have unbleached enriched flour or wheat flour as their first ingredient. The term multigrain has no connection with the amount of whole grains contained in the product
Nutrient Content Claims for Calories & Fat Calorie-free: Less than 5 calories per labeled serving Low Calorie: 40 calories or less per labeled serving Fat-free: Less than 0.5 grams per labeled serving or contained no ingredient that is fat or contains fat. Low Fat: 3 grams or less per labeled serving
Organic USDA organic products have strict production and labeling requirements. Organic products must meet the following requirements: Produced without excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge). Produced using allowed substances. Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations.
GMO- Genetically Modified Organisms Genetically modified foods, GM foods or genetically engineered foods, are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering as opposed to traditional cross breeding. A food label does not have to disclose if their product has GMO ingredients.
Q and A Why does produce, such as an apple or celery, not have a label or ingredient list? The U.S. Nutrition Labeling and Education Act exempts raw fruits and vegetables from nutrition labeling requirements. There is a voluntary nutrition labeling program for produce where retailers must provide shelf labels, signs, and posters.
Activity Let s look at some labels!
ANY QUESTIONS?