Chapter 2 – Planning Healthy Diets
2.6 Understanding Food Labels
Background on Food Labels
Walk down any grocery store aisle, and you’ll find dozens of versions of the same food—from cereals and yogurts to crackers and frozen meals. With so many choices, how do you decide which one to buy?
Food labels can help. They provide information about a food’s ingredients, nutrient content, and serving size, making it easier to compare products and make informed choices. In this section, you’ll learn how to use food labels to compare products and make healthier food choices.
To help consumers make informed food choices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires most packaged foods to include specific information on their labels. As shown in Table 2.14, food labels contain five key components that provide information about a product’s identity, ingredients, nutrition content, and manufacturer.
| Required Information | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1. Statement of Identity | Identifies the type of food or product |
| 2. Net Contents | Indicates how much food is in the package |
| 3. Manufacturer or Distributor | Lists the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor |
| 4. Ingredients List | Lists all ingredients in descending order by weight |
| 5. Nutrition Facts Panel | Provides nutrition information for one serving of the food |
The statement of identity, net contents, and manufacturer information help consumers identify a product and trace its source in the event of a recall. The ingredients list and Nutrition Facts panel provide more detailed information about a food’s nutritional value and are often the most useful parts of the label when making food choices.
The Nutrition Facts panel provides information about a food’s calorie and nutrient content and can help consumers compare products and make informed food choices. Figure 2.27 highlights the four main sections of a Nutrition Facts label. The colors were added for illustration purposes; actual labels must be printed in black and white.
| Section | What It Tells You | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Serving Size | The amount typically eaten at one time and the number of servings in the package. | All nutrition information on the label is based on this amount. |
| Calories | The number of calories in one serving. | Helps you estimate how much energy the food provides. |
| Nutrient Amounts | The grams or milligrams of nutrients in one serving. | Helps you compare foods and choose products that meet your nutrition goals. |
| % Daily Value (%DV) | The percentage of the recommended daily intake provided by one serving. | Helps determine whether a food is low or high in a nutrient. As a general rule, 5% DV or less is low, and 20% DV or more is high. |
| Footnote | Explains that the % Daily Value (%DV) indicates how much a nutrient in one serving contributes to a daily diet and notes that daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. | Helps you interpret the %DV values and understand the reference used to calculate them. |
The Nutrition Facts panel is most useful when comparing similar foods. Start by checking the serving size, since all of the information on the label is based on that amount. Then compare the calories, nutrient amounts, and % Daily Value (%DV) to identify foods that provide more of the nutrients you want and less of those you may want to limit.
Putting the Nutrition Facts Panel to Work for You
How you use the Nutrition Facts on food labels depends on your dietary goals. If you’re trying to reduce your saturated fat intake, you’ll want to pay close attention to the %DV for saturated fat and try to choose foods with less than 5% DV for saturated fat. If you’re watching your caloric intake, you’ll want to pay attention to the calorie information. Regardless, always start by checking the serving size and comparing it to the amount you usually consume.
As an example of smart label reading, consider the two soup labels below. First, consider how much soup you typically consume. There are two servings per can, but would you eat the entire can or just half of it? Many people would eat the whole can, and if that’s you, you would want to double all of the calorie and nutrient information. Both soups provide 160 calories per one-cup serving, or 320 calories per can.
Next, take a look at the sodium content. Most Americans consume too much sodium, which can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure. The regular soup contains 680 mg of sodium, which is 28% of the DV. If you eat the entire can, that’s 1360 mg, or 56% DV. That’s a lot of sodium. In this case, the reduced-sodium soup may be the better choice because it provides the same number of calories with substantially less sodium.
VIDEO: “Making Healthy Choices Using the Nutrition Facts Label,” by FDA (October 11, 2018 ), 3:00 minutes.
Nutrition Claims: What Do They Mean?
Food packages often contain claims designed to attract consumers’ attention. These claims may describe the nutrient content of a food, link a food to a reduced risk of disease, or explain how a nutrient supports normal body functions. Table 2.16 summarizes the three main types of claims you may encounter on food labels.
| Claim Type | What It Tells You | Example | FDA Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrient Claim | Describes the amount of a nutrient or calories in a food. | “Low sodium,” “fat-free,” “good source of fiber,” “excellent source of calcium” | Strictly defined and regulated by the FDA. |
| Health Claim | Links a food or nutrient to a reduced risk of disease. | “Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.” | Must meet FDA requirements and be supported by scientific evidence. |
| Structure-Function Claim | Describes how a nutrient supports normal body functions. | “Calcium builds strong bones,” or “Fiber helps maintain bowel regularity.” | Cannot claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease. FDA does not preapprove these claims. |
Nutrient claims are the most common type of claim found on food packages. Because these claims have specific FDA definitions, understanding a few key terms can help you compare products more effectively.
| Claim | FDA Definition |
|---|---|
| Free (e.g., Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Sodium-Free) | Contains only a trivial or insignificant amount of the nutrient. |
| Good Source Of | Contains 10–19% of the Daily Value (DV) per serving. |
| High In, Rich In, or Excellent Source Of | Contains 20% DV or more per serving. |
| Low Sodium | Contains 140 mg of sodium or less per serving. |
| Reduced Sodium | Contains at least 25% less sodium than a comparable product. |
What Do Dates on Packaged Foods Mean?
Have you ever thrown away a can of soup or a box of crackers because the date on the package had passed? If so, you’re not alone.
Each year, Americans waste billions of pounds of food because they assume that dates such as “Best By,” “Use By,” and “Sell By” indicate when food becomes unsafe to eat. In most cases, however, these dates refer to quality, not safety. They indicate when the manufacturer expects the product to have its best flavor, texture, or overall quality.
Infant formula is the only food required by federal law to carry a “Use By” date related to safety and nutrient content. [1] For most other packaged foods, date labels are generally voluntary and are not standardized. As a result, many foods—especially properly stored canned foods and dry goods—remain safe to eat after the printed date.
Some food banks and retailers choose not to distribute food after its package date, but there is no federal law prohibiting the donation or sale of many foods simply because the date has passed.
Before throwing food away, inspect the package for signs of spoilage or damage and use your senses to evaluate the food. Understanding what date labels really mean can help reduce food waste, save money, and prevent perfectly good food from being discarded.
| Date Label | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Best By | Best flavor or quality before this date |
| Use By | Last date recommended for best quality (required only for infant formula) |
| Sell By | Helps stores manage inventory; not a safety date |
| Freeze By | Recommended date for freezing to maintain quality |
Class Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever purchased a food because of a claim on the front of the package (such as “low fat,” “high protein,” or “supports immunity”)?
After reading this section, would you make the same choice? Why or why not? - Imagine you are comparing two breakfast cereals. What parts of the food label would you examine first, and what information would be most important to you when deciding which cereal is the healthier choice?
- Many people eat more than the serving size listed on a Nutrition Facts label. How might misunderstanding serving sizes affect a person’s calorie, sodium, sugar, or nutrient intake? Can you think of a food that this might happen to you with?
Review Questions
Attributions
This section is an adaptation of “Understanding Food Labels” in Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application by Alice Callahan, PhD; Heather Leonard, MEd, RDN; and Tamberly Powell, MS, RDN under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
- Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Product Dating. United States Department of Agriculture. Updated October 1, 2019. Accessed June 27, 2026. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating ↵
- United States Food and Drug Administration. USDA, FDA seek information on food date labeling to provide further clarity, transparency, and cost savings for U.S. consumers. Published December 3, 2024. Accessed June 27, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/usda-fda-seek-information-about-food-date-labeling-aim-provide-further-clarity-transparency-and-cost ↵
