Deciphering Food Labels

Kari Ikemoto & Sarah JacobsonDietetic InternsKeene State College

Objectives

• Last Class Review • Review nutrient checklist worksheet

• What is a Food Label - who uses food labels? Why

• Dissecting Labels • Parts and uses of the food label

• Contrasting the old and new labels - which is better?

• Looking at Health Claims • What do they mean? Which ones are real?

Ask yourself…

• What is this ad implying?

• What is it trying to sell you?

• Who is this targeting?

• Does it make you feel like it’s a healthy choice?

• What is being marketed?

Compare and Contrast

OSCAR MAYER SELECTS CHICKEN BREAST HOT DOG

Ingredients: Chicken breast with rib meat, Water, Corn syrup, Cultured dextrose*, Contains less than 2% of salt, Cultured celery juice*, Vinegar*, Sodium phosphates, Garlic powder, Sugar, Onion powder, Cherry powder, Lemon juice solids, Natural flavor, Dextrose, Yeast extract. *Ingredients to preserver quality

Nutrition Facts: Serving size 53 g, servings per container 8, Calories 80, Calories from fat 50, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Sodium 400 mg, Total sugar 1 g, Protein 7 g

CHICKEN BREAST

Ingredients: Chicken

Nutrition Facts: Serving size 2 oz, Calories 92, Total fat 2g, Saturated fat 1 g, Cholesterol 47 mg, Sodium 220 mg, Total sugar 0 g, Protein 17 g

The Nutrition Facts Label

Contains product specific information

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Helps you to compare one snack to the next

A tool to help you make healthy decisions about food

Food Labels: 5 Components

Claims Found on Food LabelsNutrient Content

Claims ex. “low fat” or “high fiber”

Health Claims Requires FDA approval (16 so far)

Structure/Function Claims Potential effects related to food’s

nutritive value “calcium builds strong bones”

Lets take a look at labelsCHICKEN NOODLE SOUP Amount Per Serving

(serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed

Calories 60 Fat Calories 20 Total Fat 2g Sat. Fat 0.5g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 15mg Sodium 890mg

25% LESS SODIUM CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed

Calories 60 Fat Calories 20 Total Fat 2g Sat. Fat 0.5g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 15mg Sodium 660mg

What do the claims mean?Claim Meaning

Low Calorie 40 kcal or less/ serving

Low Cholesterol 20 mg or less and 2 grams or less of saturated fat/serving

Reduced At least 25% less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product

Good source of Provides at least 10-19% of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient/serving

Calorie free Less than five calories/serving

Fat free/sugar free

Less than ½ gram of fat or sugar/serving

Low sodium 140 mg or less of sodium/serving

High In Provides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value of a specified nutrient/serving

High fiber 5 or more grams of fiber/serving

What at are they implying?

Health Claim Commercial

Ingredients: Sugar, Modified Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals, Whey (Milk), Lecithin as emulsifier (soy), Vanillin (an artificial flavor)

Using the Nutrition Facts Panel

Top-half of panel:Serving sizeCalories and Calories from

FatThe Nutrients

Ones to LimitOnes to Get Enough of (5%

or less is low; 20% or more is High)

Bottom-half of panel: * % Daily Value =

footnote Statement must be on

all food labels Last portion omitted on

small packages Nutrient needs for

2,000 vs. 2,500 calories per day

Using the Nutrition Facts Panel

The Percent Daily Value (%DV)

DRIs not used on food label since they are gender & age specific

% DVs are based on 2,000 calorie diet

Easy to use & make comparisons between products

Remember serving sizes!

Exceptions to Food Labeling

Labeling for fresh fruit, vegetable, poultry, fish are voluntary

% Daily Value for Protein

Nutrient & Herbal Supplements

How to read a food label

1. Start with the SERVING SIZE This will tell you the amount of the food that the nutrition

facts are referring to2. Next look at CALORIES

1. How many calories will I consume if I eat this serving of food

3. Move on to FAT in GRAMS1. Ideally no more than 3 grams of fat/100 calories

4. SODIUM1. Avoid those foods that have greater than 300 mg of

sodium5. SUGAR

1. The WHO recommends no more than 5% of calories should come from added sugar in the diet

Match Maker

Match Maker

YogurtOreo Pudding

Match Maker

Match Maker

Skittles

Snickers

Match Maker

Match Maker

Subway – Turkey + Ham Sandwich

McDonald’s – Quarter Pounder w/Cheese

Food Label Gets a Makeover In March 2014, the new food label was

revealed. This stems from The Food Label and

Modernization Act of 2013 Last update was in 1990 (Nutrition Labeling

and Education Act of 1990); some sections have not been changed since 1938

In 2009, recognizing the need for food label remodeling, Congress instructed the Institute of Medicine to review food packaging and make recommendations for change

Introducing the New Food Label

OLDNEW

Compare and Contrast

What is similar between the food labels?

What is different between the food labels?

Do they seem more clear to you? Do you think the changes are

beneficial? What changes would you have made

to the food label? What is your favorite part of the new

food label?

What has changed in the food label?

Better reflect current nutrition science Require information regarding added

sugars Update daily values for sodium, fiber,

Vitamin D Declare amount of potassium and

Vitamin D on the label Remove calories from fat

Update serving sizes Change the serving sizes to reflect how

people eat and drink today Require that typical single serving foods

be listed as single serving For bulk food packages, a dual label that

lists 1 serving and entire package

Refreshed design Make calories and serving sizes more

prominent Switch the location of the the percent

daily values to the left side of the label versus the right. ▪ The first thing you see when reading the label▪ Footnote to more clearly explain what the

daily values mean

Now it’s your turn!

Using the passed out food labels, complete the worksheet to evaluate the food labels.

Would you pick this product? What do you think would be a better

option?

Thank you!Questions?