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Understanding Food Labels

A guide to help navigate the terminology and nutrition information on a food package to ensure that you know what you're buying.

Understanding Food Labels

The information on food labels is intended to help consumers become savvy about their food choices. The front, back, and sides of a package are filled with information to inform us what the food contains and to provide guidance in making healthier selections of processed foods. However, all the numbers, percentages, and sometimes complex-sounding ingredients can lead to more confusion than clarity.

This guide will help you to navigate the terminology and nutrition information on a food package to ensure that you know what you’re buying.

The Nutrition Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts label is overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was first mandated under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 to help consumers make quick, informed food choices. It has undergone revisions, with the latest update released in 2016. Changes are generally based on updated scientific information and input from the public regarding ease of use.

Key features of the latest label

Serving Size and Calories are bolded and in larger font. Calories is an important number to many consumers. The label lists the calorie amount for one serving of food. The serving size, also important but often unnoticed, is easily doubled or tripled when not paying attention to the serving size, quickly inflating the calories. Highlighting both of these values emphasizes their importance and relationship. Serving sizes have also been updated to list amounts that more accurately reflect what consumers realistically eat. Example:

A small bag of trail mix shows 100 calories per serving. One might assume the small bag to contain 1 serving, but it actually contains 3 servings so that eating the whole bag provides 300 calories. With the updated label, the same size bag would show 1 serving at 300 calories.

Keep in mind that the serving size is not a recommendation for everyone about how much to eat, but rather a reference point. 

Addition of “Added Sugars” underneath Total Sugars. Foods and beverages high in added sugars tend to be higher in calories and are negatively associated with several health problems. However, some foods like plain dairy and fruit contain naturally occurring sugars that do not have these negative health effects. Therefore, the new label shows both Total Sugar grams and Added Sugar grams. The specific types of added sweeteners will be shown in the Ingredients list. Examples:

Plain dairy milk will show 12 grams of Total Sugars (naturally occurring from lactose) per cup but zero Added Sugars.

A cup of strawberry yogurt may show 20 grams of Total Sugars of which 10 grams are Added Sugars (10 grams are naturally occurring from lactose and the other 10 grams are from an added sweetener).

Removal of vitamins A and C, and addition of vitamin D and potassium. Vitamins A and C had been included in previous labels when deficiencies of these nutrients were more common. They are rare today, so have been replaced with vitamin D and potassium, which can run low in the diets of some Americans.

How do I use the % Daily Value?

The percent Daily Value (%DV) shows how much of a nutrient in one serving of food contributes to one’s approximate daily requirement for the nutrient. To best use the %DV, remember these simple guidelines:

5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low. If you are trying to follow a heart-healthy diet, you might aim for this percentage amount for items like saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is high. Use this amount for nutrients you want more of. For example, if you are trying to eat more nutrients to support bone health, then you may aim for this percentage amount (or higher) for calcium and vitamin D.Use the %DV to quickly compare nutrients in similar products. For example, if you are looking for a salad dressing or pasta sauce with less salt and added sugar, you can compare two different brands and choose the product with the lower %DV for sodium and added sugars.

For more commentary on the updated Nutrition Facts label by Harvard nutrition experts, see the article, Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement.

Front-of-Package

Front-of-package (FOP) labels

This is the section of a food label consumers see first, which within seconds can influence their purchase. This has made it a battleground between public health advocates and food manufacturers. Food manufacturers can choose to display FOP symbols or graphics that highlight nutritional aspects of the product if they are favorable to health, such as being lower in calories or added sugar, but may leave out less favorable information such as being high in sodium or saturated fat. These graphics promote a perception of healthfulness, which can be misleading if consumers rely only on these images without reading the Nutrition Facts panel for complete information. The FDA does not closely monitor these FOP graphics. Because research has shown that “positive” FOP labels like health stamps or checkmarks can overrate a food’s healthfulness, public health advocates have supported initiatives for FOP “warning” labels (e.g., traffic lights or stop signs) to highlight nutrients that are harmful to health in excess, such as sugars and fats in sweetened beverages and ultra-processed snacks. All FOP labels in the U.S. are voluntary, which allows food manufacturers to highlight or hide the nutrition information they choose to help promote or preserve sales. If warning labels became mandatory, as public health advocates propose, the pressure on manufacturers would increase to change certain products to improve their nutritional quality.

स्रोत : www.hsph.harvard.edu

(PDF) Knowledge of nutrition facts on food labels and their impact on food choices on consumers in Koforidua, Ghana: A case study

PDF | Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate consumers’ knowledge of food labels and how this knowledge guides their decisions... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

HomeFood EngineeringNutritional MedicineFood TechnologyFood PackagingMedicineFood ScienceNutrition and DieteticsFood Labeling

ArticlePDF Available

Knowledge of nutrition facts on food labels and their impact on food choices on consumers in Koforidua, Ghana: A case study

January 2014South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition 27(1):13-17.

DOI: 10.1080/16070658.2014.11734479

Authors: Sarah Darkwa

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate consumers’ knowledge of food labels and how this knowledge guides their decisions when making purchasing choices with regard to food. Design: This was a descriptive research design study. Setting: The setting was the suburb of Koforidua Municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana. Subjects: One hundred and forty-three customers were observed in store from four randomly sampled supermarkets. One hundred of these customers completed a self-administered questionnaire. Outcome measures: Measurements included observation and a self-administered questionnaire that elicited information on label-reading habits, attitudes towards health awareness and the influence of food labels on food choices. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Sixty-five of the 100 consumers (54 females and 46 males) who consented to respond to the questionnaire looked at or read food labels before selecting a food to purchase. Seventy-five per cent reported reading the food labels prior to selecting food. This study found that nutrition knowledge had a low to average impact on consumers’ food choices. Half of the consumers who reported reading the food labels did not do so regularly. This could have implications on how often such information is used when purchasing food. Also, only 22% of the study respondents answered correctly when asked to explain “26% RDA (recommended dietary allowance) vitamin A per serving” on a food label, even though 45% of the respondents had a tertiary education. Conclusion: These findings indicate awareness and knowledge of food labelling which may not always adequately impact on food choices, even though study respondents indicated high awareness and low to average reading of labels prior to purchasing food.

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स्रोत : www.researchgate.net

An assessment of nutrition information on front of pack labels and healthiness of foods in the United Kingdom retail market

Front of pack nutrition labelling is part of United Kingdom government’s programme of activities aiming to tackle diet-related diseases. There are several front of pack labelling formats available and they differ in the information they deliver. This study assessed the frequency of usage of front of pack food labelling systems on food products in the United Kingdom grocery market. It also measured the healthiness of some foods in the online market by categorising them according to their nutrient contents. Five hundred food products in five categories [(1) cereals and cereal products, (2) dairy products, (3) beverages, (4) packaged meats and meat products, and (5) pre-packaged fruits and vegetables] from three main United Kingdom retail websites were investigated. A simple random sampling method was used for product selection according to the categories on the retailers’ websites. The healthiness of foods was also assessed by categorising them into ‘healthier’, ‘moderately healthy’ and ‘least healthy’ based on fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar contents. The total number of label types assessed comprises 19.6% of Guideline Daily Amounts or Reference Intakes and 43.8% had a combination of Traffic Light and Reference Intakes (hybrid label). Slightly over a quarter (27.4%) of products included nutritional information in a grid or table, 3.4% of the foods had two of any of the following: Health Logo, Reference Intakes and Traffic Light labels, and 5.8% did not have any Reference Intakes, Traffic Light, Health Logo or Hybrid label. Most of the foods assessed were manufactured in the United Kingdom with only 30.8% imported from 32 countries across four continents. Traffic Light and Guideline Daily Amounts were the most used front of pack labelling formats on the assessed food product. A higher number of assessed products belonged to the “moderately healthy” and “healthier” categories than the “least healthy”. The imported foods that were found in the United Kingdom retail market showed that food choices could be made from the diverse food types.

Research article Open Access

Published: 08 February 2021

An assessment of nutrition information on front of pack labels and healthiness of foods in the United Kingdom retail market

D. A. Ogundijo, A. A. Tas & B. A. Onarinde

volume

21, Article number: 220 (2021) Cite this article

5137 Accesses 10 Citations 1 Altmetric Metrics details

Abstract

Background

Front of pack nutrition labelling is part of United Kingdom government’s programme of activities aiming to tackle diet-related diseases. There are several front of pack labelling formats available and they differ in the information they deliver. This study assessed the frequency of usage of front of pack food labelling systems on food products in the United Kingdom grocery market. It also measured the healthiness of some foods in the online market by categorising them according to their nutrient contents.

Methods

Five hundred food products in five categories [(1) cereals and cereal products, (2) dairy products, (3) beverages, (4) packaged meats and meat products, and (5) pre-packaged fruits and vegetables] from three main United Kingdom retail websites were investigated. A simple random sampling method was used for product selection according to the categories on the retailers’ websites. The healthiness of foods was also assessed by categorising them into ‘healthier’, ‘moderately healthy’ and ‘least healthy’ based on fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar contents.

Results

The total number of label types assessed comprises 19.6% of Guideline Daily Amounts or Reference Intakes and 43.8% had a combination of Traffic Light and Reference Intakes (hybrid label). Slightly over a quarter (27.4%) of products included nutritional information in a grid or table, 3.4% of the foods had two of any of the following: Health Logo, Reference Intakes and Traffic Light labels, and 5.8% did not have any Reference Intakes, Traffic Light, Health Logo or Hybrid label. Most of the foods assessed were manufactured in the United Kingdom with only 30.8% imported from 32 countries across four continents.

Conclusions

Traffic Light and Guideline Daily Amounts were the most used front of pack labelling formats on the assessed food product. A higher number of assessed products belonged to the “moderately healthy” and “healthier” categories than the “least healthy”. The imported foods that were found in the United Kingdom retail market showed that food choices could be made from the diverse food types.

Peer Review reports

Background

Research has shown an increase in the level of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, overweight, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although these diseases have been common in high-income countries since the end of the twentieth century, recently developing countries are beginning to face similar threats owing to increased consumption of highly processed and energy-dense foods [1,2,3,4,5,6]. In a document published by the World Health Organization (WHO), total global deaths attributed to NCDs was 78% [7]; this high incidence of NCDs has initiated efforts by the WHO and Food Standards Agency (FSA) to reduce the global health effects of NCDs by 2030 [8, 9].

Nutritional labelling is used as a tool to inform the general public about the healthiness of foods, protect consumers against unsafe foods and prevent manufacturers from making false, deceptive and misleading claims [10, 11]. Nutrition labels can either be on the back of pack (BOP) or front of a pack (FOP). In BOP labels, energy (in kJ or kcal) and the amounts of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt (in g) are indicated. BOP was the most prevalent and mandatory label format worldwide in 2014 [11, 12].

The FOP traffic-light (TL) system that was recommended by the UK government for healthier food choices identifies four nutrients in addition to energy values. It categorises foods key nutrient contents as ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’, represented with green, amber or red, respectively. Moreover, the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), which is also referred to as Reference Intake (RI),

Footnote

1 presents the recommended number of calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar or salt per day that an average individual should consume, beyond which the consumption may have an adverse effect on health. In the TL system, the United Kingdom’s FSA postulated standards for categorising foods according to nutrient levels per 100 g or 100 ml as shown in Table 1a and b [13, 14]. The criteria

Footnote

2 were proposed as a standard in agreement with government agencies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This was implemented owing to an increase in the reported incidence of diet related NCDs [14]. Grunert et al. [15], Stones [16] and Hodgkins [17] highlighted that the UK’s use of FOP was the highest in Europe.

Table 1 Criteria for categorising foods into heathier food products – LOW (green), products with medium nutrients – MEDIUM (amber) and least healthy products – HIGH (red). (A) Per 100 g of food (B) Per 100 ml of drinks (FSA, 2016)

Full size table

This study assesses the frequency of usage of colour coded TL, GDA, a hybrid of colour coded TL and GDA (HYD), and HL food rating systems on food products in the UK grocery market. The study also measures the healthiness of some foods in the online UK market by categorising them into ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ according to their nutrient profiles based on the FSA’s recommendation on their salt, sugar and fat thresholds. These categories reflect the level of healthiness of the assessed food products.

स्रोत : bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com