Test Your Knowledge

Nutrition labels help shoppers determine the nutritional content of most of the foods they purchase. These labels are printed on the packaging of foods sold in grocery stores and other shops. Consumers can use this information to help craft a well-balanced diet that boosts their health and reduces the risk of illness.

For years, people had relatively little information about the nutrition content of many foods available for sale. However, in 1990, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a law called the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) requiring most types of packaged food to carry nutritional information on food labels.

The nutrition facts panel is intended to help consumers gain insight into what they are eating. It is divided into two parts:

• Specific information about the food. This makes up most of the panel and includes details about the serving size, calories and nutrient information.
  
  
• General nutrition information. This is located in the footnote at the bottom of the panel. The percent daily value (% daily value) is provided for each nutrient and represents the percentage of a nutrient in a food product in relation to the total amount of that nutrient a person should consume in one day.

In addition to the nutrition facts labels, many foods may contain other nutrition information. Nutrient content claims are messages found on labels of foods and dietary supplements to describe the level of a nutrient or dietary substance found in the product. In most cases, the nutrient content claim enables manufacturers to promote aspects of their product that contribute positively to consumer health.

Health claims or disease-reduction claims are messages printed on the food label to describe a relationship between a food substance or nutrient and a health-related condition. However, health claims are different from nutrient content claims in that they are based on scientific research.