Reading Labels: Decoding What the Package Says

A Cluttered Past
The marketing of food through commercials and printed advertisements and on package labels has led to a confusing melange of hype. It's a phenomenon that parallels advancements in nutrition science. As more people became interested in the connection between diet and health, food companies began using labels and advertisements to make and market "healthful" products. A key event occurred in 1984, when Kellogg advertised that their All-Bran cereal was useful in the prevention of cancer; previously, such claims hadn't been permitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The difference in this case was that the Kellogg ads had received the endorsement of the National Cancer Institute, another government organization.

The food industry waited to see whether the FDA would order Kellogg to change their ads, but as time passed it became obvious that nothing was going to happen. Other companies followed Kellogg's lead and a flood of health claims and messages worked their way into the marketplace, each trying to outdo the other in proclaiming the healthfulness of their product.

The result was such a hodgepodge of messages and inflated claims that in March 1990, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Louis Sullivan, decried the food label as a "Tower of Babel" in desperate need of reform The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) was passed that year, and a set of label regulations were published in January 1993. These regulations were designed to bring some order and consistency to the way foods are labeled.

On Every Package
At present, every package must list the name of the product; the name and address of the company who manufactured, packed, or distributed the product; and the amount of the product contained in the package. Most packages will also have an ingredient list, which begins with the most prevalent item (by weight), followed by the remaining items in order of descending weight. The actual weights of the items are not displayed.

There is also a "nutrition facts" panel, designed to help you place one serving of that food in the context of your total daily diet. It does this by comparing the amount of nutrients in one serving of food with the total amount of fat, carbohydrate, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals that should be present in an average daily diet. It's based on the dietary standard called the Daily Value (DV), which is an updated and expanded version of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances, or "U.S. RDA," the allowance for vitamins, minerals, and protein that has been used on packaged foods since 1973.

Daily Values for fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and protein are based on the number of calories you eat during the day, while DVs for cholesterol, sodium, and potassium are fixed amounts.

Daily Values
Fat: 30 percent of daily calories
Saturated Fat: 10 percent of daily calories
Carbohydrate: 60 percent of daily calories
Fiber: 11.5 g per 1,000 calories
Protein: 10 percent of daily calories
Cholesterol: 300 mg per day
Sodium: 2,400 mg per day

Table of Daily Values
The bottom half of the new label lists the amounts of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, and fiber that should be present in an average 2,000-calorie and 2,500-calorie diet. At the very bottom there's a notation that fat contains 9 calories per gram, and protein or carbohydrate contains 4 calories per gram.

When reading this information, keep in mind that a 2,000-calorie diet may be excessive for smaller women and children, and a 2,500-calorie diet would provide insufficient calories for larger individuals and those who are physically active. The purpose of these numbers is to let you see how one serving of the food would compare with a typical day's diet.

Helping You Shop
The Nutrition Doctor's A-to-Z Food Counter can help you decide on products before you get to the store, but once there you should examine the name, ingredient list, nutrition panel, and preparation instructions on the package. If your decision is between two similar products, examine their ingredients and nutritional panels side by side to see which one offers more of what you seek. Does one have less fat? Is one made with whole grains? Is sugar the number one ingredient, or is it further down on the list? Is one fortified with the vitamins and minerals that you seek? Is one of the choices a source of folic acid, antioxidants, or calcium, as indicated by an F, A, or C in The Nutrition Doctor's A-to-Z Food Counter?

And finally, before you toss the desired brand into your cart, check the package for any defects such as water stains, leaks, or bulges that may indicate mishandling or tampering. You should also check for an expiration date to ensure you're getting a product that is still safe to eat.

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