People examine food labels for numerous reasons, from managing dietary restrictions to making healthier choices. Regardless of the motivation, many individuals seek to understand how to interpret this information more efficiently and effectively. This guide aims to enhance your label-reading skills, enabling you to swiftly and confidently make informed food decisions that contribute to a balanced and healthy diet.
Overview | Understanding Serving Information | Calories Demystified | Navigating Nutrients | The Power of Percent Daily Value (%DV) | Variations in Nutrition Facts Labels
For more detailed information on Nutrition Facts labels, please visit www.fda.gov/NutritionFactsLabel.
Overview
The upper portion of a Nutrition Facts label (sections #1-4), as illustrated in the sample below, is product-specific. This section provides essential details such as serving size, calorie count, and nutrient breakdown, all tailored to the particular food or beverage. Conversely, the lower section features a standardized footnote. This footnote clarifies the meaning of Percent Daily Value (%DV) and specifies the 2,000-calorie benchmark used for general dietary recommendations.
To aid comprehension, we’ve highlighted specific sections of the Nutrition Facts label below. These colored sections are purely for explanatory purposes and do not appear on actual product labels.
Sample Label for Frozen Lasagna
Understanding Serving Information
(#1 on sample label)
When you first look at a Nutrition Facts label, direct your attention to the serving information. This section details two crucial elements: the number of servings contained within the entire package (servings per container) and the serving size. Serving sizes are standardized across similar food categories, facilitating easier comparisons between products. They are presented using common household measurements like cups or pieces, followed by the metric equivalent in grams (g). Importantly, the serving size represents the amount typically consumed by individuals, but it is not a recommended portion size.
It’s critical to understand that all nutritional values listed on the label—including calorie counts—are based on this specified serving size. Therefore, paying close attention to the serving size, especially the number of servings within a package, is essential. Ask yourself: “Am I consuming half a serving, a full serving, or multiple servings?”
In the lasagna example, one serving is equivalent to 1 cup. If you were to eat two cups of lasagna, you would effectively be consuming two servings. This means you would need to double all the nutrient and calorie values, as well as the %DVs, to accurately reflect your intake.
| Example |
|---|
| Serving Size |
| Calories |
| Total Fat |
| Saturated Fat |
| Trans Fat |
| Cholesterol |
| Sodium |
| Total Carbohydrate |
| Dietary Fiber |
| Total Sugars |
| Added Sugars |
| Protein |
| Vitamin D |
| Calcium |
| Iron |
| Potassium |
Calories Demystified
(#2 on sample label)
Calories are the units used to measure energy in food. The calorie information on a Nutrition Facts label tells you how much energy you’ll get from consuming one serving of that food. In our lasagna example, a single serving contains 280 calories. If you were to consume the entire package, which contains four servings, you would ingest a total of 1,120 calories.
Maintaining a healthy weight hinges on balancing calorie intake with calorie expenditure. A daily intake of 2,000 calories is often used as a general nutritional guideline. However, individual calorie needs can vary significantly based on factors like age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. To determine your personalized calorie needs, you can use resources like the MyPlate Plan available at https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan.
Key takeaway: The number of servings you consume directly dictates the total calories you ingest. Consistently exceeding your daily calorie needs can lead to weight gain and obesity.
Navigating Nutrients
(#3 on sample label)
Section 3 of the Nutrition Facts label highlights key nutrients that significantly impact your health. This section empowers you to tailor your food choices to meet your specific dietary goals. Use this information to identify foods rich in nutrients you want to increase in your diet and lower in those you wish to limit.
- Nutrients to Limit: Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Added Sugars.
Saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars are flagged on the label as nutrients often overconsumed by Americans and linked to potential health risks. These are categorized as nutrients to get less of. Excessive intake of saturated fat and sodium is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. High consumption of added sugars can make it challenging to meet essential nutrient needs while staying within healthy calorie limits.
Understanding Added Sugars vs. Total Sugars
Total Sugars encompasses all sugars present in the food, including naturally occurring sugars found in fruits and milk, as well as any added sugars. Currently, there’s no established Daily Reference Value for total sugars, as no daily intake recommendation exists.
Added Sugars, on the other hand, are sugars incorporated during food processing (like sucrose or dextrose), sugars packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), syrups, honey, and sugars derived from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. Diets heavy in calories from added sugars can hinder your ability to obtain recommended daily amounts of crucial nutrients while staying within calorie targets.
The inclusion of “includes” before “Added Sugars” on the label signifies that added sugars are a subset of the total sugars present in the product.
For instance, a yogurt container with added sweeteners might display:
This indicates that the yogurt contains 7 grams of added sugars and 8 grams of naturally occurring sugars, totaling 15 grams of sugar.
- Nutrients to Prioritize: Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.
Dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium are identified as nutrients to get more of because Americans often fall short of recommended intakes. A diet rich in dietary fiber can promote regular bowel movements, help manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and contribute to calorie control. Increased intake of vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium can lower the risk of osteoporosis, anemia, and high blood pressure.
Remember: Leverage the Nutrition Facts label to align your food choices with your dietary needs—prioritize foods higher in nutrients you need more of and lower in nutrients you should limit.
The Power of Percent Daily Value (%DV)
(#4 on sample label)
The Percent Daily Value (%DV) expresses the proportion of the Daily Value for each nutrient present in a single serving of food. Daily Values are recommended amounts (expressed in grams, milligrams, or micrograms) of nutrients to consume or not exceed daily.
Essentially, the %DV indicates how much a nutrient in one serving contributes to your total daily dietary needs.
The %DV is a valuable tool for quickly assessing whether a serving of food is high or low in a particular nutrient.
Do you need to be a math whiz to use the %DV? Absolutely not! The label does the calculations for you. It simplifies nutrient amounts (grams, milligrams, micrograms) by translating them into a standardized daily scale (0-100%DV). The %DV column isn’t meant to add up to 100% vertically. Instead, it represents the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient within a serving. This allows you to easily determine if a serving is high or low in a specific nutrient and its overall contribution to your daily diet.
Note: Some nutrients listed on the Nutrition Facts label, such as total sugars and trans fat, do not have a %DV assigned, which we will discuss later.
General %DV Guide:
- 5% DV or less per serving is considered low.
- 20% DV or more per serving is considered high.
In general, aim to choose foods that are:
- Higher in %DV for Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.
- Lower in %DV for Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Added Sugars.
Example: Let’s examine the sodium content in one serving of lasagna from our sample label. The %DV for sodium is 37%. According to the General %DV Guide, is 37% DV a significant contribution to your daily diet? Yes, it is! A 37% DV for sodium signifies a HIGH sodium product (exceeding 20% DV). Consuming two servings would provide 74% of your daily sodium allowance – nearly three-quarters of the recommended daily limit.
Comparing Foods: Utilize %DV to compare similar food products (ensure serving sizes are comparable). Opt for products with higher %DVs of beneficial nutrients and lower %DVs of nutrients to limit.
Understanding Nutrient Content Claims: %DV helps differentiate between claims like “light,” “low,” and “reduced.” Simply compare the %DVs of the nutrient in question across different products to identify which is higher or lower. There’s no need to memorize specific definitions.
Making Dietary Trade-Offs: %DV allows for dietary flexibility. You don’t have to eliminate favorite foods to eat healthily. If a food you enjoy is high in saturated fat, balance it with lower saturated fat choices throughout the day. Monitor your total daily intake to ensure that your consumption of saturated fat and other nutrients to limit remains below 100%DV.
How Daily Values Relate to %DVs
The table below illustrates the relationship between Daily Values (DVs), %DVs, and dietary guidance. Adhering to these recommendations helps you stay within expert-recommended upper or lower limits for nutrient intake, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Examples of DVs versus %DVs (Based on a 2,000 Calorie Diet)
| Nutrient | DV | %DV | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturated Fat | 20g | =100% DV | Less than |
| Sodium | 2,300mg | =100% DV | Less than |
| Dietary Fiber | 28g | =100% DV | At least |
| Added Sugars | 50g | =100% DV | Less than |
| Vitamin D | 20mcg | =100% DV | At least |
| Calcium | 1,300mg | =100% DV | At least |
| Iron | 18mg | =100% DV | At least |
| Potassium | 4,700mg | =100% DV | At least |
Upper Limit – “Less than” Goal:
An upper limit means aiming to consume “less than” the listed Daily Value for that nutrient per day. For instance, the DV for saturated fat is 20g, representing 100% DV. The dietary advice is to consume “less than” 20g or 100%DV daily.
Lower Limit – “At least” Goal:
The DV for dietary fiber is 28g, equivalent to 100% DV. The recommendation is to consume “at least” this amount of dietary fiber on most days.
Nutrients Without %DV: Trans Fats, Protein, and Total Sugars:
Trans fat and Total Sugars do not have a %DV listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Protein only includes a %DV in specific scenarios.
Trans Fat: Experts haven’t established a Daily Value for trans fat due to insufficient data for setting a reference value.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicates that diets high in trans fat are linked to elevated levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. It’s worth noting that the majority of artificial trans fats have been phased out of the U.S. food supply since 2018.
Protein: A %DV for protein is mandatory if a protein-related claim is made (e.g., “high in protein”) or if the product is intended for infants and children under 4 years old. For products aimed at individuals aged 4 and older without a protein claim, %DV for protein is optional.
Current scientific consensus suggests that protein intake is generally not a public health concern for adults and children over 4 in the United States.
Total Sugars: There is no Daily Reference Value for Total Sugars, as no daily intake recommendations have been established. Remember that Total Sugars include both naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit and milk) and added sugars.
Variations in Nutrition Facts Labels
While many Nutrition Facts labels adhere to the standard lasagna label format, manufacturers are permitted to use alternative formats. Here, we’ll explore two variations: dual-column labels and single-ingredient sugar labels.
Besides these, other label formats exist, which you can explore in more detail here.
Dual-Column Labels
For products larger than a single serving but potentially consumed in one or multiple sittings, manufacturers are required to use “dual-column” labels. These labels present calorie and nutrient information on a “per serving” basis and “per package” or “per unit” basis. This format helps consumers easily understand the calorie and nutrient content if they consume the entire package or unit at once. For example, a pretzel bag containing 3 servings might use a dual-column label to display nutritional information for both one serving and the entire bag (3 servings).
Pretzels
Single-Ingredient Sugar Labels
Products like pure honey, maple syrup, or sugar packages are exempt from declaring grams of Added Sugars per serving. However, they must still declare the % Daily Value for Added Sugars. Manufacturers are encouraged, but not mandated, to use the “†” symbol after the Added Sugars %DV on single-ingredient sugars. This symbol links to a footnote explaining the contribution of one serving to the daily added sugar intake and the % Daily Value for Added Sugars. This labeling approach aims to prevent the misperception that sugars have been added to these single-ingredient products and to provide clarity on their contribution to daily added sugar intake.
Here’s how a single-ingredient sugar label, like on honey, might appear:
Honey
