The New Food Label

FN-524, June 1993 (Reviewed and reprinted January 1995)
Pat Beck, Nutrition Specialist

"The new label will provide a consistent tool to help consumers select healthier diets. It will give consumers the power to take an active, responsible role in protecting and promoting their health."

Louis Sullivan, M.D., former secretary, Health and Human Services

What You Can Expect

• Almost all packaged foods will be labeled.
• Raw produce, fish, meat and poultry may be voluntarily labeled where they are sold.
• Serving sizes will be the same for similar foods.
• Most serving sizes will be given in household measurements, such as cups.
• Terms such as light, low, high, free, lean, etc. will be defined so they will always mean the same thing when they are used.
• Labels on almost all foods will have the same basic format (will look alike).
• Required information will include saturated fat, calories from fat, cholesterol, sodium and dietary fiber. These were not required in the past.
• Consumers will be able to compare foods and see how a food fits into a healthful diet.
• Only approved health claims may be used, such as calcium is important in preventing osteoporosis.

On January 6, 1993, regulations for food labels were published. The new regulations require nutrition labeling for most foods offered for sale and regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring accuracy in labeling of meat and poultry products. FDA is responsible for labeling all other foods. Manufacturers must comply with FSIS rules by July 1994 and with FDA rules by May 1994.

How Will I Recognize the New Label?

Look for the new design. The nutrition information section of the label will be under the heading "Nutrition Facts."

What's on it?

The FDA and USDA considered the health issues of greatest concern to the general public, and identified nutrients that must appear on the label and those that are optional.

The required information is shown on the sample label. Manufacturers may also give information on:

• calories from saturated fat,
• amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat,
• soluble and insoluble fiber,
• sugar alcohol,
• other carbohydrates,
• potassium and
• some additional vitamins and minerals.

in the first column is for the product "as packaged." In other words, on a pancake mix (package), this is what is in the dry mix.

How much in a serving?

In the past, serving size could be determined by the manufacturer. Now it will be determined by the regulatory agencies, FDA and USDA. Serving sizes are established for many different food categories and the amount of a serving is called a "reference amount."

FDA suggests how a serving can be listed. For example, the category "breads (excluding sweet quick type), rolls" has a reference amount of 50 grams, and the appropriate label statement for sliced bread or rolls is "____ piece(s) (____ g)" or, for unsliced bread, "2 oz (56 g/____ inch slice)."

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Dinner Rolls
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 roll (45 g)

Bread -- unsliced
Nutrition Facts
Serving size:
2 oz (56 g/1-inch slice)

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The serving size of products that come in units, such as cookies, candy bars and sliced products, is the number of whole units that comes closest to the reference amount. Cookies are an example. They fall under the "bakery products" category, which has a reference amount of 30 g. So a serving of cookies is the number of cookies that comes closest to weighing 30 g. Thus, the serving size on the label of a package of cookies in which each cookie weighs 13 g would read "2 cookies (26 g)."

Certain rules apply to food products that are packaged and sold individually. Many beverages fall into this category. The reference amount for carbonated beverages is 240 ml (8 ounces). If the individual package is less than 2 times this reference amount, the item can be called one serving. Thus, a 360 ml (12 fl oz) can of carbonated soda is one serving.

If a product has a reference amount of 100 g or 100 ml or more, and if the package contains more than one and one-half times but less than two times the reference amount, manufacturers have the option of deciding whether the product will be labeled as one or two servings.

How Can I Use the Daily Value?

The Daily Value (DV) can give you a good idea of how different foods fit into your overall diet. Remember that this is one serving of one food to fit into the total day's eating. So don't assume that a food has to have 50 to 100 percent of the DV to be high in a nutrient. A general guideline may be to consider a food containing 20 percent or more of the DV to be high in that particular nutrient, and one with 5 percent or less to be low.

The Daily Values for sodium, cholesterol, vitamins and minerals are the same for everyone regardless of the number of calories eaten. Fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, fiber and protein are called energy-producing nutrients and their percentages will change as calories change. The percentages given on the label are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

As we all know, not everyone eats a 2000-calorie diet. Those who eat more or less can still benefit from the DVs provided on food labels. For example, the food in the sample label on page 3 would provide a higher percentage of fat, carbohydrate and protein to a petite woman (whose calorie requirement was only 1500) than the 2000 reference amount would indicate. She would get 7% of the Daily Value for fat instead of the 5%. On the other hand, a man with a 2500 calorie diet would get only 4% of his Daily Value for fat from a serving of this food.

There is no need to calculate these values exactly. They are to be used as a general guide. Look at whether your needs may be a little more or a little less than that shown.

The DV can also be an aid for comparison shopping. For instance, if a serving of Brand A's macaroni and cheese has a Percent Daily Value of 27 for total fat, and if Brand B's has 45, Brand A has less fat and would fit better into a low-fat diet.

What about packaged meals and dishes?

To make the following claims, meal and main dish manufacturers must use the following definitions if they use these terms to describe their products:

• CHOLESTEROL-FREE — less than 2 mg of cholesterol and 2 g saturated fat per serving. Meal products may have up to 26.0 g and main dish products up to 19.5 g of total fat per serving.
• LOW FAT — contains 3 g or less total fat per 100 g and no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.
• LOW SODIUM — contains 140 mg or less per 100 g.
• LOW CALORIE — 120 calories or less per 100 g.
• LIGHT — the product is low in fat or calories. It must be labeled to show which one, e.g., "Light, a low-fat meal." Could be low sodium and be labeled "light in sodium."
• HIGH and GOOD SOURCE — not defined for meal-type products. Terms may be used to refer to a single food in the meal that meets the definition for the term.

Will there still be a list of ingredients?

Ingredient lists will now have to appear on all foods that have more than one ingredient. Color additives, such as FD&C Blue No. 1, must be listed. The source of protein hydrolysates (for example, soy protein or contains glutamate) must be stated. Caseinate must be identified as a milk derivative in foods that claim to be nondairy, such as coffee whiteners.

Beverages that claim to contain juice must list the total percentage of juice on the information panel. The regulations discuss how juices are named. You may find "raspberry flavored juice blend" or "juice blend, 2 to 7 percent raspberry juice." This label would be used on blends of juices when the named juice is present in a minor amount.

How can I find out what's in fresh produce, meat and fish?

Your grocery store/supermarket likely will have nutrition information available in the produce area in some form, on the twenty most popular raw fruits and vegetables. Similar information should be available in the meat department for meat and fish. This is a voluntary program.

Will there still be health information on the label?

FDA has provided regulations for making health claims and at this point has authorized seven such claims. The claims that may appear on labels are those relating to:

• calcium and osteoporosis risk
• sodium and hypertension risk
• cancer risk and - dietary fat - fiber-containing grain products - fruits and vegetables
• risk of coronary heart disease and - dietary saturated fat and cholesterol - fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber.

Will everything be labeled?

There are some exemptions and exceptions. Some of the foods which do not need to have nutrition labeling are:

• foods served in a restaurant
• food offered for sale by small businesses -- that is, those with food sales of less than $50,000 a year or total sales of less than $500,000 for FDA regulated food. USDA regulated foods will be exempt from nutrition labeling if the firm has 500 or fewer employees and produces less than 100,000 pounds of that particular product per year. This regulation will be phased in over a three-year period.
• foods that contain insignificant amounts of nutrients such as coffee or tea
• foods shipped in bulk form
• infant formulas
• some very small packages -- that is, those that can only accommodate package labels of less than 12 square inches - about the size of a life savers package.

Is sugar added to all products, such as milk, that list grams of sugar in the "Nutrition Facts"?

The grams of sugar listed include both added and naturally occurring sugars. The sugar present in milk is naturally occurring lactose (milk sugar). When sugar has been added, it will be listed in the ingredient list.

What's a "lake" in the ingredient listing?

The listing of colors and lakes are required by law. A lake is insoluble color. This does not have real relevance to the consumer.

Terms and Definitions

Nutrient Content Descriptors

New regulations spell out what terms may be used to describe the level of a nutrient in a food and how it can be used. No explicit or implied nutrient content claim can be on a food label unless it uses terms that have been provided for by FDA regulation. Petitions for other terms may be submitted. The core terms are these:

What does it mean?

Nutrient Content Descriptors that May Be Used on Food Labels

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Descriptor*   Definition**
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High 	       A serving contains 20 percent or more of the Daily 
	       Value (DV) for a particular nutrient.
 	         
Good Source    A serving contains 10 to 19 percent of the DV for a 
	       particular nutrient.
	         
Reduced        A modified product that contains 25% less of a nutrient
	       or 25% fewer calories than a reference food. A reduced
	       claim can't be made on a product if its reference food
	       already meets the requirement for a "low" claim.
	         
Less 	       A food contains 25 percent less of a nutrient or of
	       calories than the regular, or reference product. For
	       example, pretzels that have 25 percent less fat than
	       potato chips could carry a "less" claim.
	         
Light 	       Must meet the definition of "low" for calories, fat or
	       both (e.g., "Light _________, Low Calorie and Low Fat."
	        
	       Sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been
	       reduced by 50 percent (the claim "Light in sodium" may
	       be used).  If sodium is reduced 50 percent on a food
	       that is not low in fat and calories, the label must
	       state "light in sodium."
	         
	       Describe such properties as texture and color, as long
	       as the label explains the intent. For example: "light
	       brown sugar" or "light and fluffy."
	           
More or Added  A serving contains at least 10 percent or more of the
	       DV for a nutrient than the regular food. The 10 percent
	       of DV also would apply to "fortified," "enriched" and
	       "added" claims, but in those cases the food must be
	       altered. Example: A calcium-fortified orange juice
	       could specify that the product supplies "more" calcium
	       than regular juice.

Percent Fat    A product must be low-fat or fat-free. The claim must
Free	       accurately reflect the amount of fat present in 100 g
	       of the food. Thus, if a food contains 2.5 g fat per
	       50 g of food, the claim must be "95 percent fat free."

Fresh	       A food is raw, has never been frozen or heated, and
	       contains no preservatives (irradiation at low levels
	       is allowed); or
	
	       The term accurately describes the product (e.g., "fresh
	       milk" or "freshly baked bread).

Fresh Frozen   The food has been quickly frozen while still fresh;
	       blanching is allowed before freezing to prevent
	       nutrient breakdown.
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  *  Some synonyms have been approved.
 **  These definitions have been simplified for this table; there are
     some restrictions and additional requirements.
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Food Label Weights and Measures

Weight
---------------------------------------------
1 ounce (oz.) 	= approximately 28 grams (g)
16 ounces 	= 1 pound (lb)
1 pound 	= 454 grams
1 kilogram (kg) = 1,000 grams or 2.2 pounds
1 gram 		= 1,000 milligrams (mg)
1 milligram 	= 1,000 micrograms (g)

Volume
---------------------------------------------
1 liter 	 = 1.06 quarts
1 liter 	 = 1,000 milliliters (mL)
1 milliliter 	 = 0.03 fluid ounces (fl oz)
1 gallon 	 = 3.79 liters (l)
1 quart 	 = 0.95 liter
1 cup 		 = 8 fluid ounces or 240 mL
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 mL
3 teaspoons 	 = 1 tablespoons
1 tablespoon (T) = 15 milliliters
16 tablespoons 	 = 1 cup
4 cups 		 = 1 quart
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FN-524, June 1993 (Reviewed and reprinted January 1995)