Nutrition Info for Raw Fruits, Vegetables, Fish

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Customers of D'Agostino Supermarkets in New York have taken to reading the writing on the wall — and at the counter, in the aisles, and just about everywhere else that store managers have posted nutrition information on raw produce and fish.

They're reading about the amounts of sodium, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, and other nutrients in their favorite fruits and vegetables and fish. And, thanks to accompanying take-away brochures, they're learning how those foods can help them follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

"Customers are interested," acknowledges Mary Moore, director of public affairs for the company. "They're picking up the brochures; they're taking them home. And our managers tell us they see people reading the charts all the time."

They're not alone. Food shoppers across the country are helping themselves to the same type of information. It's all part of FDA's voluntary point-of-purchase nutrition information program for raw fruits, vegetables and fish, and D'Agostino Supermarket Inc. is one of many grocers participating.

It's well that these grocers are participating because under FDA guidelines, at least 60 percent of a nationwide sample of grocery stores surveyed in late 1992 must have been in compliance at that time. If they're not, FDA is required by law to make the program mandatory.

Grocers have some flexibility: They can choose from a variety of ways in which to convey nutrition information — poster, brochure, leaflet, notebook, or individual stickers — as long as those materials are available in the appropriate food department.

They're required to provide nutrition information only for the 20 most frequently eaten raw fruits, vegetables and fish. (See accompanying lists). And, they have to provide information only on calories and eight nutrients.

Setting Standards

FDA established the current guidelines for voluntary nutrition information in November 1991, in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. Although the law mandates nutrition labeling for almost all processed foods, it allows voluntary point-of-purchase nutrition information for raw fruits, vegetables and fish — as long as a sufficient number of retailers participate.

According to Jean Pennington, Ph.D., a registered dietitian and associate director of dietary surveillance in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the program is intended to give retailers flexibility while ensuring that as many consumers as possible have access to consistent, reliable information.

Offering in-store nutrition information on these types of foods isn't new, she noted. Many grocers have been doing it on their own for years.

For example, almost 10 years ago, Schnuck Markets Inc., a 60-store grocery chain headquartered in St. Louis, began offering customers its Nutri Guide booklet — which lists calorie, fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber content of nearly 2,500 in-store foods, including perishable items.

And Giant Foods Inc., a Washington, D.C., area retail chain headquartered in Landover, Md., has been selling its Eat for Health Food Guide since the 1980s. This guide, too, provides nutrition information on thousands of store products, including fresh fruits and vegetables and raw fish.

What is new is that, for the first time, consumers at grocery stores across the country will have access to the same basic nutrition information. "We're aiming for consistency here," Pennington said. "From store to store and from state to state."

What Shoppers Will See

That's why the program, although voluntary, carries some mandatory components. Chief among them is the information that must be provided.

To meet the FDA guidelines, point-of-purchase nutrition information for raw fruits, vegetables and fish must include the following:

• name of the fruit, vegetable or fish that has been identified by FDA as being one of the 20 most commonly eaten in the United States
• serving size
• calories per serving
• amount of protein, total carbohydrates, total fat, and sodium per serving
• percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances for iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C per serving.

This information is required because FDA believes it's important for consumers to know which foods will increase one's intake of nutrients and which foods will not.

Declaring the percent of U.S. RDAs for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and protein, and the amounts of complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, saturated fat, and cholesterol is optional.

The serving size, determined by FDA, is defined as that portion of food "customarily consumed per eating occasion."

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.