Reading the Nutrition Label: Part One

Today's topic is the allmighty nutrition label. I’m sure we’re all familiar with picking up a box or bag of something and reading the food label. It's a snapshot of what to expect inside: serving size, calories, fat calories, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, all based on an "average" 2000 calorie per day diet. Typically we’ll look at everything that’s highlighted on the image below, right?

Maybe this looks familiar?

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Probably not. We’ll check out the serving size, maybe double the calories listed because who only eats three cookies? Maybe you’ll read the size 6 text underneath the Nutrition Facts label to see what ingredients are in your box o’ tasty treats.

Sunny D ingredients. Note that it's not called Sunny Juice.

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Also note that the top ingredients are WATER and SUGAR.

In case you’re not terribly familiar, you’re likely eating whole foods that don’t come with labels so congratulations on being ahead of the curve. Food labels are ALL based on a standard 2000 calorie/day diet, but many people on diets consume significantly less than that so we tend to ignore the daily value percentages.

This post about more than the Nutrition Label. The entire box of food you purchase down to the wording on the packaging is heavily regulated via the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 and the FDA’s Food Labeling Guide (last updated in 2009). I’m going to highlight some of the more interesting findings in the hopes that this can help you become a more savvy shopper because you deserve to know what you’re buying and, more importantly, what you’re consuming based on the promises listed on a box.

1: “Imitation” anything.

Imitation Crab Meat

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A food that resembles a traditional food and is a substitute for the traditional food must be labeled as an imitation if the food contains less protein or a lesser amount of any essential vitamin or mineral. A visit to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations website is required to figure out what exactly “less protein” or “a lesser amount” means.

• Reducing essential nutrients without reducing calories or fat makes a product an imitation.
• A “measurable amount of an essential nutrient” is considered to be 2 percent or more of the DRV regarding protein or potassium, and 2 percent or more of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of any vitamin or mineral (excluding selenium, molybdenum, chromium, and chloride).
• The Commissioner can ignore these rules if they decide a food is inferior for reasons not listed, and can revise these rules (or create new ones) if necessary.
• A label may be required to list percentages of a characterizing ingredient (i.e.: we expect vanilla to be present in Vanilla Wafers) or the absence of an ingredient, or the need to add an ingredient.
• The font size and type should be the same for the product name and the “imitation” text.

2. Juices

This product is guaranteed to contain some % of something orange.

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• Beverages that claim to contain juice (fruit or vegetable) must declare the % of juice. Is there a picture of fruit on the label? Does it taste like cherries? The % must be listed.
• Beverages are not required to list the % juice if :
• The product is described using the term “flavor” or “flavored”
• The term “juice” is not used other than in the ingredient list, and
• The beverage doesn’t give the impression that it contains juice
• Beverages that are 100% juice may be called “juice.” However, beverages that are diluted to less than 100% juice must have the word “juice” qualified with a term such as “beverage,” “drink,” or “cocktail.” Alternatively, the product may be labeled with the name “diluted" (e.g. “diluted apple juice”).
• A beverage purports to contain fruit or vegetable juice if the product's advertising, label, or labeling, bears the name of, or makes any other direct or indirect representation with respect to any fruit or vegetable juice, or the label or labeling bears any vignette (i.e., depiction of a fruit or vegetable) or another pictorial representation of any fruit or vegetable, or product contains color and flavor that gives the appearance and taste of a fruit or vegetable juice. The beverages may be carbonated or noncarbonated, full strength, diluted, or contain no juice.
• The FDA urges manufacturers to use vignettes that accurately depict each fruit or vegetable contained in the multiple juice products (but does not regulate it). You can pick up a bottle with pictures of ONLY raspberries on the front and that beverage may be
• “ A 100 percent juice consisting of apple, grape and raspberry juices, in which raspberry juice provides the characterizing flavor”,
• “Raspberry juice blended with apple and grape juices”
• “Raspberry flavored fruit juice blend” or
• “Raspberry juice in a blend of two other juices, 3 to 8 percent raspberry juice”
• 100% juice can contain other ingredients, as long as those ingredients don’t change the volume of the liquid.
• "Punch” is not a standardized beverage label. A punch may contain artificial flavor, natural flavor, pretty much anything but fruit juice.

Caveat emptor when drinking fruits and vegetables!

3. Reading the label

Are you tired of reading yet? Here's more to look for when reading a label.

• Ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance.
• Water counts as an ingredient.
• Added chemical preservatives must include both the common name of the preservative and the function of the preservative (i.e.: INGREDIENTS: Dried Bananas, Sugar, Salt, and Ascorbic Acid to Promote Color Retention).
• Want to know what’s in “artificial flavor”? Too bad. The FDA only requires products that are spices or spice blends, flavors or colors must list each ingredient by name.
• Foods with less than 5 calories can be listed as calorie free
• The FDA has not stated how a company should determine the nutrient content of their product for labeling purposes. Therefore, there is no prohibition from using “average” values for its product.
• There is no defined number of samples that must be analyzed to determine nutrient content.
• Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts label. As a result, consumers may see a few products that list 0 gram trans fat on the label while the ingredient list will have “shortening” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on it.

4. Not a significant source of X.

The FDA requires foods that are lacking in any of the following to state so underneath the Nutrition Facts RDA box. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, although it encourages companies to fortify their foods with other chemicals or ingredients as to appear more healthful. Less than 1g of sugar would typically be a good thing, right?

"Not a significant source of calories from fat" = Less than 0.5 g fat per serving.

"Not a significant source of saturated fat" = Less than 0.5g of total fat per serving.

"Not a significant source of trans fat" = Less than 0.5g of total fat per serving.

"Not a significant source of cholesterol" = Less than 2mg per serving.

"Not a significant source of dietary fiber" = Less than 1g per serving.

"Not a significant source of sugars" = Less than 1g per serving.

"Not a significant source of _________" = Less than 2% RDI of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron per serving.

That's a lot of reading for one week! Next week I'll tackle advertising ploys like this: 

 

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Can Cheerios really help lower cholesterol? Ask your doctor.

What does it really mean when the Cheerios box says that it lowers cholesterol? 

Visit me next week for the answer to the advertising claims! Sources for this week can be found here.

Looking for assistance sprucing up your diet and exercise plan? Contact me at SeeMeFit for fully customized diet, exercise, and coaching programs.