How to Calculate Fat on a Food Label

Food labels in the United States are required to list the amounts of fat in all commercially prepared foods, and since 2006, the list must be further detailed to show the amounts of saturated and trans fats.

Labels are required to show nutritional information for a typical serving size, and one package may contain multiple servings.

Consumption of saturated and trans fats have been linked to cardiovascular disease and should therefore be limited in the diet.

Things You'll Need

• Food product with Nutritional Information Label

Instructions

1. Locate the Nutritional Facts Label on the food item you are interested in.

2. Find the line item for "Total Fat." This is the total amount of fat, in grams, in one serving of the product. Also listed for each line item is the percent of the recommended daily amount, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

3. Examine the lines below total fat. These include lines for saturated fats and trans fats, both of which should be ingested in limited quantities.

4. Estimate the number of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats by subtracting the saturated and trans fats from the total fats line.

   This will be an estimate because fats in all line items are rounded to the nearest gram.

Tips & Warnings

• Food portions containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fats will be rounded to 0 grams.

• While not required, some food labels may disclose unsaturated fats as a separate line.

References

• FDA: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
• FDA: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Label

Resources

• FDA Guide to Fats