Reading Food Labels for Better Nutrition

by Shereen Jegtvig

An interesting food label survey conducted by an ingredient manufacturer Tate & Lyle shows 60% of consumers use food labels when they shop.  The researchers also looked at the different ways consumers use food labels, like perusing the food label of a new product to decide if it’s worth trying or figuring out the validity packaging claims by gleaning more information from the Nutrient Facts label.  A lot of people also use food labels to see if the food they’re looking at fits into their particular diet.

If you’re a regular reader of FoodEssentials.com, and you use our FoodEssentials tool, you already know how important food labels are, but let me give you a few tips to keep in mind when you are shopping:

•    Always check the serving size and number of servings per container.  Some packages look like they contain only one serving, but they might actually have two or three.  If you eat the whole thing you’ll have to multiply the calories, fat grams, carbohydrate grams, etc. by the number of servings to get the true picture of what you’re eating.

•    The word “reduced” on the label isn’t the same as low or free.  Products that claim to have something reduced only need to lower the amount of their regular versions by 25%.  That could still mean there’s lots of calories, or fats, or sugars in the products you’re thinking about buying.  Always double check the Nutrient Facts label to see just how reduced the product is.

•    The DV or Daily Values are typically based on a 2000 calorie per day diet.  If you need to eat much more or much less than that to maintain your ideal weight, then you need to adjust them according to your needs.

•    Remember that food products (and especially dietary supplements) can make some claims about their products.  Specific health claims on food labels are regulated by the FDA.  For example, foods with olive oil or oats can claim to be good for your heart health.  But most health claims are based on how some of the ingredients affect function of your body (calcium is important for healthy bones, fiber is important for healthy digestion, etc.) but foods cannot make claims about curing diseases.

•    You might find some foods that claim to be trans-fat free, but when you look at the ingredients list you see ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ that you know are a source of trans-fats.  So how can the label claim trans-fat free?  The FDA states that if there is less than 0.5 gram of fat or trans fat per serving, that product can claim zero grams of fat or trans fat.   Keep in mind that’s per serving and not for the whole container.

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• FDA to study barriers to food label use
• Do food label rating systems work for you?