Nutritional info & food labels

Under policies from the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture), the food label submits a more comprehensive, helpful and accurate nutrition information than ever before.

With food labels, consumers get:

• Distinctive, easy-to-read layout that enables them to quickly locate the info they need to make healthy food selections
• Information on the quantity per serving of saturated fat, dietary fiber, cholesterol, and other nutrients
• Nutrient reference values, depicted as % Daily Values which helps consumers see how a food matches into a general daily diet
• Uniform descriptions for terms that express a food’s nutrient content (”light,” “low-fat,” and “high-fiber”) to guarantee that such terminologies mean the same for any product on which they come out
• Statements on the connection between a nutrient/food and a disease or health-related condition (fat and cancer, calcium and osteoporosis). These are useful for people who are health-conscious
• Standardized serving sizes that facilitate nutritional evaluation of similar products

• Protein content should be at least three grams per serving
• The grains should be whole (e.g. “whole wheat” or “wheat bran,” not only “wheat”).
• The zinc content should be 25 to 40 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
• The total carbohydrate-to-sugar ratio should not be lesser than four to one. This indicates that if the “Total Carbohydrate” line displays 24 grams, the “sugars” should have a value of 6 grams or less.
• Iron content should be 25 to 40 percent of the RDA.
• Content of other vitamins and minerals should be 25 to 40 percent of the RDA.

Standards for a healthy fruit juice:

• Get juice labeled “100 percent fruit juice.”
• Be wary of words like “drink,” “cocktail,” “beverage” “punch,” and “ade” as these are not 100 percent juice. They are junk fruit beverages with little or no nutritional value.
• Check the ingredients. Steer clear of fruit-flavored beverages that have extra fructose corn syrup as they shape a child’s inclination towards sweet cravings.
• Confirm if the juice is pasteurized. Commercial juices now are expected to state if it is pasteurized on the label as non-pasteurized juice carry bacteria that are particularly damaging to people with weakened immune systems (children, pregnant women, the elderly).