Understanding Nutrition Facts and Food Labels

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What is a Nutrition Facts label?

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A label required by the FDA on all packaged foods that provides information about serving size, number of servings, number of calories, amounts of different nutrients, and daily values for nutrients.

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What information does a Nutrition Facts label provide?

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Serving size, number of servings, number of calories, amounts of different nutrients, and percent of daily values for nutrients.

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What does the serving size on a Nutrition Facts label indicate?

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The volume or weight of a single serving of the food.

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How are the number of calories and % Daily Values on a Nutrition Facts label determined?

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They are based on a single serving size, which is what people usually eat, not a recommendation for what people should eat.

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What are Daily Values?

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Recommended daily intake amounts for specific nutrients based on a 2,000-calorie eating plan.

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How can % Daily Values be used?

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To evaluate the overall nutritional quality of a food, indicating whether a serving contributes a lot or a little to your total daily intake of a nutrient.

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What is considered a low % Daily Value?

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5 percent.

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What is considered a high % Daily Value?

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20 percent or higher.

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What should you look for in % Daily Values for beneficial nutrients?

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Greater % Daily Values for nutrients like dietary fiber and calcium.

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What should you look for in % Daily Values for less desirable nutrients?

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Lower % Daily Values for nutrients like saturated fat and sodium.