Have you ever picked up a food package at the grocery store and felt confused by all the information on the label?
You are definitely not alone.
Food packages must show you what’s inside. Laws make sure that food companies tell us important things about their products. This helps us choose foods that are right for us.
But even with these laws, it can be hard to understand what all those words and numbers mean. So, let’s break it down!
The 4 Main Parts of a Food Label
Every food label usually has four key parts:
- Nutrition Facts
- Ingredient List
- Allergens
- Additives and Preservatives
Let’s look at each part.
1. Nutrition Facts: Your Health Snapshot
This is one of the most important parts of the label. It gives you a quick snapshot of the food’s nutrients. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Serving Size: This tells you how much people usually eat at one time. The label also tells you how many servings are in the whole package. But pay attention: Serving size is not necessarily a recommendation for you, even if it’s the amount people usually eat.
- Calories: This shows how much energy a single serving gives you.
- Key Nutrients: You’ll see how much of these nutrients are in one serving:
- Total fat (and how much is saturated fat and trans fat)
- Cholesterol
- Sodium
- Total carbohydrates (including dietary fiber, total sugars, and added sugars)
- Protein
- Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium
- % Daily Value (DV): This number helps you understand if a food is high or low in a nutrient. It tells you what percentage of that nutrient you get in one serving, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. This calorie amount is used as general nutrition advice.
2. Ingredient List: What’s Really Inside?
The Ingredient List is also very important. It tells you everything that’s in the food.
Here’s a key tip: Ingredients are listed by amount. The first ingredient is what the food has the most of. The last ingredient is what the food has the least of.
For example, take a look at the following ingredients. Which ingredient has the biggest amount per serving and which has the lowest?
Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Skim Milk, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil), Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Natural Flavors, Salt, Vitamin D3.
This product has Water as the ingredient with the biggest amount per serving and Vitamin D3 with the lowest amount.
3. Allergens: Staying Safe
It’s very important to know if a food contains allergens. Allergens are things that can cause a bad reaction for some people.
By law, food labels must clearly list 9 common allergens if they are in the food:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish (like crab or shrimp)
- Tree nuts (like almonds or walnuts)
- Peanuts
- Wheat
- Soy
- Sesame
The law even says companies must warn you if there’s a chance an allergen is in the food, even if it wasn’t added on purpose. For example, a bread that doesn’t use wheat might still be made on the same machines that make wheat bread. A tiny bit of wheat could get into the “wheat-free” bread.
Pro-Tip: Always look for the word “Contains” right after the ingredient list. You might also see “May contain.” This is where you’ll find allergen warnings.
Here’s a real-world example from a food label:
Ingredients: Enriched Wheat Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron…), Sugar, Coconut Oil, Peanut Butter (peanuts, sugar, salt), Eggs, Salt. Contains: Wheat, Peanuts, Eggs. May contain: Milk, Tree nuts, Soy.
4. Additives and Preservatives: What Else is In There?
Finally, food labels must also list any additives (things added for color, flavor, or texture) and preservatives (things added to keep food fresh longer) that were used in the food.
Time to Practice!
Ready to try it out? The next time you go to the supermarket, pick up at least three different food packages. Read their labels and look for the parts we talked about here.
Soon, you’ll understand much better what you are buying!
But Is Understanding Enough?
No, just understanding is not enough.
We need to use this knowledge to make smart choices and pick healthy foods. How to make these choices is what we’ll talk about in our next post!
References
https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods
https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/serving-size-nutrition-facts-label