Nutrition Information Labels
In an effort to help us make wise decisions about what we eat, the Food and Drug Administration decreed that food must be labeled to show its composition. As our knowledge of different food properties has grown over the years, the labels have been updated to match our concerns. For example, carbohydrates were first listed in total; later, after more became know about the effects of different types of carbohydrates, labels separated the types.
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History
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For centuries there has been conflict between food producers, who want to save money, sometimes by adding fillers or using lower quality ingredients, and the public, who want the best food for the least amount of money. In the earlier part of the 20th century the Food and Drug Administration began issuing regulations to guarantee a minimum standard of food safety and information. Labels for basic ingredients were required as of 1965, leading up to passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) in 1990, which required any commercially sold food item to have a label stating its nutritional composition. A version of this label is what we see on food packages now.
Fats
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Fat may be the reason nutrition labels came into existence. In the 1980s, many people became more concerned with what they were eating. Fat became enemy number one. This concern is reflected on food labels, with not just the total fat being listed, but also a breakdown of the different types of fat, such as monounsaturated, saturated and trans fats. The amount of each of these types of fat is now listed on food labels.
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Sugar
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Sugar, much like fat, has become a culprit in the obesity and diabetes epidemic sweeping the nation. This is also reflected on food labels, with the composition of carbohydrates being broken down as to total and individual values. The total carbohydrates are noted in grams per serving, followed by simple sugar and other sugars.
Calories
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One of the first values listed is the caloric value of a serving of the food item. This is reported as the calories per serving followed by the number of servings per package. Some items such as prepackaged cookies or chips also may list the total calories per container. Food producers used to state the amount per serving as a number much less than the usual serving size in order to make it seem as if their food was lower in calories; however, these misleading practices have largely been eliminated.
Protein
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Protein provides the building blocks for growth and cell repair. The amount of protein in each food, in conjunction with the amount of fat and total calories, tells you a lot about the quality and healthful benefits of a food. When you are looking for a snack that will fill you up and keep hunger away, look for something higher in protein, as it takes longer to break down. The amount of protein in grams is also listed on the food label.
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