FOOD LABELING

Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) 1990

labeling regulations became mandatory in May 1994 for
nearly all processed foods.
 Effective May 1994, a new label format was required on food
packages as a result of the Nutritional Labeling and Education
Act (1990). The label features the following:
New Title
Uniform Listing of Nutrients Reflect Priority of
Current Nutrition Recommendations
Consistent Serving Sizes in Household Measures
New Reference Value to Show How A Food Fits
into a 2,000 Calorie Diet
Footnote Information for Calculating Personal
Nutrients Needs
More Informative Ingredient List
Health Claims and Nutrient Content Claims
Must Meet Strict Definitions
 OBJECTIVE
To ensure that labels would be on most foods
and would provide consistent nutrition
information.
Provide the consumer with more information
on the nutrient contents of foods and how
those nutrients affect health.
 Serving sizes are determined by the FDA (Food
and Drug Administration) not by the individual
food processor.

New food labels tell a lot about food. They

dont suggest what foods to eatthats your
decision. But labels can help you make your
personal best food choiceschoices that
benefit you now and in the future, too.
 NUTRITION FACTS
Total Calories Sugars
Calories from fat Protein
Total Fat Vitamin A
Saturated Fat Vitamin C
Cholesterol Calcium
Sodium Iron
Total Carbohydrates Dietary fiber
With todays labels, you can:
Compare one food with another.
Choose foods that help provide the balance
of nutrients your body needs.
Plan meals and your whole diet so they are
moderate, varied and balanced.
 DAILY VALUES on the label give the consumer
the percentage per serving of each nutritional
item listed, based on a daily diet of 2,000 kcal.
example:
Fat is 65g X 9kcal= 585
585kcal / 2000 kcal=
0.2925 X 100 = 30%
HEALTH CLAIMS
 TERMINOLOGIES
Low calorie 40 kcal or less per serving
Calorie free less than 5 kcal per serving
Low fat a food has no more than 3g of fat
per serving
Fat free food contains less than 0.5g of fat
per serving
Low saturated fat 1g or less of saturated fat
per serving
 Low cholesterol 20 mg or less of cholesterol per
serving
Cholesterol free - less than 2 mg of cholesterol
per serving
No added sugar no sugar or sweetness of any
kind have added at anytime during preparation
and packaging.
Low sodium less than 140mg of sodium per
serving
Very low sodium less than 35 mg of sodium per
serving
 NUTRITION ON YOUR LIFE
Do you eat the minimum number of servings
from each of the five food groups daily?
What dietary changes could you make to
improve your chances of enjoying good
health?