What Is an FDA Serving?

Fruits are one of the six basic food groups.

In an effort to educate the public about nutrition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed recommended daily allowances of food types. Consumers can use these standards to ensure that they are benefiting from a healthy diet.

Food Pyramid

The food pyramid is an educational nutrition guide based on the six basic food groups. There are recommended daily servings per food group. Serving sizes are determined by caloric needs. For instance, children from 2 to 6 years of age, women and some older adults require approximately 1,600 calories while teen boys and active men require approximately 2,800 calories.

Nutritional Food Labels

The FDA requires packaged foods to have nutritional labels that include the individual serving size and number of servings per package. Manufacturers base the serving size according to FDA Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) guidelines. An RACC is the serving size of a particular "food" typically consumed in a single sitting by a consumer who is 4 years old or older.

Application

A savvy shopper can use the information provided on nutrition labels in conjunction with the food pyramid to consume the proper servings to meet his daily requirements of the basic food groups.

References

• FDA: Guidance for Industry A Food Labeling Guide
• Department of Health: Dietary Guidelines
• USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: Serving Sizes in the Food Guide Pyramid and on the Nutrition Facts Label: What's Different and Why