that case, the daily value must be 20% or greater. No
recommendations have been made about how much
sugar should be consumed in a day, so no percent daily
value can be calculated.
At the bottom of the label, percent daily values,
but no weights, are listed for four nutrients:vitamin A,
Vitamin C, calcium, andiron. These percentages give
consumes an idea how low or high the food is in these
particular nutrients.
Larger labels have a footnote at the very bottom.
The information in this footnote is the always same
regardless of the type of food in the package. The
footnote explains that the percent daily values are
calculated based on a 2,000 calorie diet, and that an
individual’s needs may be greater or less than the listed
percent daily value depending on the individual’s
energy (calorie) needs. The footnote then gives dietary
guidance by showing the maximum recommended
grams of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium,
and the minimum grams of carbohydrates and dietary
fibers a person on a 2,000 or 2,500-calorie diet should
consume. This guidance is based on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans 2005. Whether this footnote
is included in the label depends on the space is avail-
able. By using all the information available on food
labels, consumers can make informed decision about
the nutritional content of what they eat and maintain a
healthy diet.
PrecautionsLabeling requirements change occasionally as
more research becomes available, There is a two-year
phase-in period whenever labeling requirements are
changed. This eases the financial impact on companies
whose products require new labels. Occasionally labels
will not reflect all the most recent regulations. In 2007,
regulations that would require soluble dietary fiber to
be listed on food labels were under consideration.
Parental concernsSpecial labeling requirements are in effect for
foods designed to consumed mainly by children age
four and younger. See the entry oninfant nutritionfor
additional details.
Resources
BOOKS
McCarthy, Rose.Food labels: Using Nutrition Information to
Create a Healthy Diet. New York: Rosen Pub. Group,
2005.
Stewart, Kimberly L.Eating Between the Lines: The Super-
market Shopper’s Guide to the Truth Behind Food
Labels. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.
PERIODICALS
‘‘Consumer Info Quest Gives Marketers Food for
Thought.’’Marketing Week. (March 22, 2007): 24
Kuchment, Anna. ‘‘What’s on Your Label? (food Labels)’’
Newsweek. (March 12, 2007):63.
Welland, Diane. ‘‘Red-flagging Food Labels: 8 Tips to Sift
Fact From Fiction.’’Environmental Nutrition.
303 (March 2007):2.
ORGANIZATIONS
United States Department of Agriculture. 1400 Independ-
ence Avenue, S.W., Room 1180, Washington, DC- Website:http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/
usdahome
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cen-
ter for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of
Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supple-
ments. 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park,
Maryland 20740. Fax: 301-436-2639. Website:http://
[http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/>)
OTHER
Larson, Heather and Gina Kemp. ‘‘Nutrition Fact Labels:
Understanding DVs, RDAs, and DRIs.’’ Helpgui-
de.org, February 5, 2007.http://www.helpguide.org/
life/food_labels_nutrition_facts.htm
United States Department of Health and Human Services
and the United States Department of Agriculture. ‘‘
United States Department of Health and Human Services
and the United States Department of Agriculture.
‘‘Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005.’’ January 12,
2005.http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cen-
ter for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. ‘‘Food
Labeling and Nutrition.’’ February 6, 2007.http://
[http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html>)
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cen-
ter for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. ‘‘How to
Understand and Use the Food Nutrition Facts Label.’’
November 2004.http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
label.html
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cen-
ter for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. ‘‘Questions
and Answers About Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling’’
January 1, 2006.http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/dms/
qatrans2.html
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ‘‘The
Food Label’’ May 1999.http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
dms/fdnewlab.html
‘‘What’s in a Food Label?’’ Healthchecksystems.com,
undated, accessed March 26, 2007.<http://
http://www.healthcheckssystems.com/label.htm
National Organic Program. ‘‘Organic Food Standards
&Labels: The Facts.’’ United States Department of Agri-
culture, Agricultural Marketing Service, January 2007.
Food labeling