Food Label: Good Reading For Good Eating : Part 3

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 3 of 3)

Nutrition Panel

A revised list of nutrients — selected because of their relationship to current health concerns — will appear on the nutrition panel. (See "'Nutrition Facts' to Help Consumers Eat Smart" on page 22.) Some of the nutrients are carryovers from the previous label: calories, total fat, total carbohydrate, protein, sodium, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. The new ones are calories from fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugars, and dietary fiber. No longer required are thiamin, riboflavin and niacin because deficiencies of these vitamins are no longer considered significant public health problems. However, manufacturers may list these and other nutrients if they choose, subject to certain conditions.

Serving sizes specified on labels now will be more uniform across all product lines so that consumers can more easily compare the nutritional qualities of similar products. They also will be closer to the amounts people actually eat.

The amount of certain nutrients will be expressed not only in terms of the amount per serving but also in terms of a percent of a new dietary reference value, called the Daily Value. The "percent Daily Values" will be based on a 2,000-calorie diet. (See "'Daily Values' Encourage Healthy Diet" on page 28.)

Requiring nutrients to be declared as a percent of the Daily Value is intended to help consumers understand the role of individual foods in the context of the total daily diet.

Nutrient Content Claims

Any term used to describe the nutrient content of a food will mean the same on every product on which it appears. Also, the list of acceptable claims now includes such descriptors as "free," "low," "light" (or "lite"), "reduced," "less," and "high." "Lean" and "extra lean" also have been defined and will apply specifically to the fat content of meat, including game meat, poultry, and fish.

Health Claims

Claims linking a nutrient or a food to the risk of a disease or health-related condition now will be allowed only under certain circumstances on FDA-regulated products. FDA will allow statements about the relationships between:

• calcium and osteoporosis
• fat and cancer
• saturated fat and cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD)
• fiber-containing grain products, fruits and vegetables and cancer
• fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and CHD
• sodium and hypertension
• fruits and vegetables and cancer.

There are strict requirements about when and how these claims can be used. (See "Starting This Month, Look for 'Legit' Health Claims on Foods" on page 14.)

Ingredient Labeling

Full ingredient labeling will appear on all processed, packaged foods, including standardized foods such as mayonnaise, macaroni and bread, which previously were exempt.

Also, for the first time, the ingredient list will include, when appropriate:

• FDA-certified color additives, such as FD&C Yellow No. 6, by name
• sources of protein hydrolysates, which are used in many foods as flavor enhancers
• declaration of caseinate as a milk derivative in foods that claim to be nondairy, such as coffee whiteners.

In addition, beverages that claim to contain juices must declare the total percentage of juice on the information panel. (See "Ingredient Labeling: What's in a Food?" in the April 1993 FDA Consumer.)

Economic Impact

It is estimated that the new food label will cost FDA- regulated food processors between $1.4 billion and $2.3 billion over the next 20 years. However, the benefits to public health — measured in monetary terms — are estimated to well exceed the costs. Potential benefits include decreased rates of coronary heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure, and allergic reactions to food.

Public Education

To help consumers get the most from the new food label, FDA and USDA have embarked on a multi-year food labeling education campaign. The campaign involves participation by consumer, trade and health groups, as well as by other government agencies. Its purpose is to increase consumers' knowledge and effective use of the new food label and assist them in making accurate and sound dietary choices in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

"The food label of the future will have more information and be more complicated," FDA's Scarbrough said. "Its usefulness will be diminished unless consumers are taught what to do with the information."

Fred Shank, Ph.D., director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and other nutrition experts acknowledge that the task of teaching consumers how to use the new label will be formidable.

"It's been a long haul," Shank said about efforts to revamp the label. "But the greatest challenge lies ahead — in educating consumers."

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.