THE NUTRITION LABEL THE NUTRITION LABEL E asy Ways to Use the Label For Healthy Eating For more information, please contact: Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements

Key Label Questions How many calories am I actually eating? Is that number low, medium, or high? What nutrients should I limit or get enough of and why? What’s relevant about the footnote? How can I tell if a %DV is high or low? Which nutrients have no %DV?

The Nutrition Facts Label

One or Two Servings? Single%Double% ServingDVServingDV Serving Size1 cup (228g)2 cups (456g) Calories Calories from Fat Total Fat12g18%24g36% Trans Fat1.5g 3g Saturated Fat3g15% 6g30% Cholesterol30mg10%60mg20% Sodium470mg20%940mg40% Total Carbohydrate31g10%62g20% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% 0g 0% Sugars 5g10g Protein 5g10g Vitamin A 4% 8% Vitamin C 2% 4% Calcium20%40% Iron 4% 8%

IN TERMS OF CALORIES, WHAT AMOUNT IS LOW, MODERATE OR HIGH? 40 Calories is low 100 Calories is moderate 400 Calories is high *Based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Limit These Nutrients The goal is to stay BELOW 100% of the DV for each of these nutrients per day. WHY? Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.

Get Enough of These Nutrients Try to get 100% of the DV for each of these nutrients each day. WHY? EATING ENOUGH OF THESE NUTRIENTS CAN BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH AND HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF SOME DISEASES AND CONDITIONS.

The Footnote What are these DVs? They represent expert advice for upper daily limits (for total fat, sat fat, cholesterol, and sodium), based on a a 2,000 calorie diet.— But for Total Carbohydrates and dietary fiber, they represent lower daily limits— Public health experts advise us to stay within these limits, ie dietary recommendations, per day for a 2,000 calorie.

Examples of DVs versus %DVs* The first 4 nutrients, which are in yellow, represent upper daily limits—that means your goal is to stay BELOW the amount for the day. Example: look at saturated fat: the DV is 20g= 100%DV. The goal for Sat fat, is to stay below 20g per day (100%DV) whereas for Total fat the DV is 65g. Now look at dietary fiber, in blue—the DV is 25g, which represents the minimum for the day. Therefore the goal is to get at least 100%DV every day. The DV for Carbohydrates ( in white) is 300g or !00%DV

The Percent Daily Value The % DV is based on 100% of the daily value for each nutrient. The %DV tells you IF A SERVING OF FOOD IS HIGH OR LOW IN A NUTRIENT. THE % DV COLUMN DOES NOT ADD UP VERTICALLY TO TOTAL 100%. INSTEAD, EACH NUTRIENT WITH A % IS BASED ON A 100% OF THE DAILY REQUIREMENTS (OR THE DV) FOR THAT NUTRIENT for a 2,000 calorie diet

What’s High? What’s Low? Do You Have to Calculate to Know? Footnote Look at the example on the left, we’ve listed the metric amount but not the %DV.. Can you tell if 12g of Total Fat is high or low? What about the 3g of saturated fat? What about the 470mg of sodium?

The % DV Does the Math for You Look here for highs and lows! No, THE % DV DOES THE MATH FOR YOU BY PUTTING ALL THE NUMBERS (GRAMS AND MILLIGRAMS) ON THE SAME SCALE ( %). On this sample label: 12g fat equals 18% DV Is 18% DV for Total fat or 20% DV for Sodium high or low? Do these nutrient amounts contribute a lot or a little to the daily limit of 100% DV?

Quick Guide to % DV 5% DV or less is Low Limit these Nutrients Get Enough of these Nutrients 20% DV or more is High 5% DV or less is low and 20% DV or more is high for all nutrients, including those you want to limit (e.g., fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium) or those you want to get enough of, like fiber and calcium.

No % Daily Value Trans Fat Sugars Protein

What’s up with these? For Protein: Unless a claim is made, or the food is meant for use by infants and children under 4 years old, there is no requirement for a % DV for protein For Trans Fat: Scientific reports link trans fat with raising LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol, which increases your risk of coronary heart disease, a leading cause of death in the US. It is used to extend the shelf life of foods. The American Heart Association recommends keeping trans fat to 2g per day

What about sugar? The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends no more than 8 teaspoons per day of added sugar based on a 2,000 calories/day diet. That's 32 grams if you're reading labels, and about 6% of your total calories for the day. Sounds like a lot, but believe me... it's not. 32 total grams sugar/ 4 grams per teaspoon = < 8 teaspoons added sugar/day

Read the Nutrition Facts Label For Total Sugars Plain YogurtFruit Yogurt Although sugars have no % DV, you can know how to limit your intake by comparing two products and choosing the one with the lowest amount. To compare, look at the Nutrition Facts label to determine the TOTAL amount of sugars in a food. THE TOTAL AMOUNT INCLUDES BOTH NATURALLY- OCCURRING SUGARS AND THOSE SUGARS ADDED TO THE FOOD.

Read the Nutrition Facts Label For Total Sugars Plain YogurtFruit Yogurt In this case, the plain yogurt on the left has 10g of sugar in one serving; the fruit yogurt on the right has 44g of sugars, 2-3 times the amount of sugar found in most candy bars. So how can you tell if either of these yogurts has added sugars?

Look at the Ingredient List for Added Sugars Plain Yogurt INGREDIENTS: CULTURED PASTEURIZED GRADE A NONFAT MILK, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, PECTIN, CARRAGEENAN. Notice that ingredients are listed in descending order, so that those ingredients listed first weigh the most, while those weighing the least come last.

Look at the Ingredient List for Added Sugars Fruit Yogurt INGREDIENTS: CULTURED GRADE A REDUCED FAT MILK, APPLES, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CINNAMON, NUTMEG, NATURAL FLAVORS, AND PECTIN. CONTAINS ACTIVE YOGURT AND L. ACIDOPHILUS CULTURES Make sure that they are not one of the first two or three ingredients listed. Some other NAMES FOR ADDED SUGARS INCLUDE: corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup.

Calcium In Your Daily Diet Calcium NOTICE CALCIUM IS AN EXAMPLE OF A NUTRIENT THAT HAS A %DV BUT NO WEIGHT AMOUNT LISTED. Consumers should get at least 1000 MG per day.

Calcium Calculation 100% DV = 1,000mg calcium 30% DV = 300mg calcium = one cup of milk 130% DV = 1,300mg calcium = daily goal for teens

For More Information Guidance on How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel on Food Labels ( also available in Spanish ) Test Yourself! Test Your Food Label Knowledge! Food Label Education Video Calcium! Do You Get It?