How to read nutrition labels

Food labels provide nutrition information so you can make smart choices about the food you buy and serve your family.

What's on Food Labels?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) require labels on almost all packaged foods. The information usually is on the back or side of packaging under the title "Nutrition Facts." 

The nutrition facts label includes:

• serving size
• calories
• % daily values 
• information about fat, cholesterol, fiber, added sugars, protein, and other nutrients

Other information on the food label:

• content claims, such as "light" or "low-fat," that must meet strict government definitions so that they are accurate and consistent from one food to another
• health claims, like "While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease," which must meet government requirements for approval
• ingredients list

To make healthy, informed food choices, learn how to read the nutrition facts label and understand food label claims.

Food Label Claims

Manufacturers often make claims about the healthfulness of a food on the front of a package. These claims must meet FDA standards. Some common food claims: 

• Reduced fat or sugar means that a product has 25% less fat or sugar than the same regular brand.
• Light means that the product has 50% less fat or 1/3 less calories than the same regular product.
• Free means as little as possible of a nutrient, like sugar, fat, or gluten.
• Healthy means the food is low in fat or saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and is a good source of important nutrients.
• USDA 0rganic means the food has at least 95% organic ingredients with no synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, biotechnology, synthetic ingredients or irradiation.

Keep in mind that some claims (like natural, low in fat, or organic) do not necessarily mean the product is healthy or low in calories.

Nutrition Facts Label

Check out what you can learn from the Nutrition Facts label.

Serving Size and Servings Per Container

Serving size is based on the amount that people typically eat. All nutritional information on the label is based on the serving size. So if a serving size is 2 cookies and you eat 4 cookies — which would be 2 servings — you need to double all the nutrition information.

The number of servings per container tells you how many serving sizes are in the whole package.

Calories

A calorie is a unit of energy that measures how much energy a food provides to the body. The number of calories that's listed on the food label indicates how many calories are in one serving.

Percent Daily Values

Percent daily value is most useful for seeing whether a food is high or low in nutrients:

• A food with 5% or less of a nutrient is low in that nutrient.
• A food with 10%–19% of a nutrient is a good source of that nutrient.
• A food with 20% or more of a nutrient is high in that nutrient.

The information on food labels is based on an average diet of 2,000 calories per day. But the actual number of calories and nutrients that kids need will vary according to their age, weight, gender, and level of physical activity. (For more guidance, check out the USDA's MyPlate.)

Total Fat

This number indicates how much fat is in a single serving of food. Although too much fat can lead to health problems, our bodies do need some fat every day.

Fats are an important source of energy — they contain twice as much energy per gram as carbohydrates or protein. Fats provide insulation and cushioning for the skin, bones, and internal organs. Fat also carries and helps store certain vitamins (A, D, E, and K).

Saturated Fat and Trans Fat

Saturated fats and trans fat are often called "bad fats" because they raise cholesterol and increase a person's risk for developing heart disease. 

Saturated fats should account for less than 10% of the calories that kids eat each day. Trans fat should be as low as possible (less than 1% of total calories).

Unsaturated Fat

Unsaturated fats may also be listed under total fat. Unsaturated fats are often called "good fats" because they don't raise cholesterol levels as saturated fats do. Most fats should come from sources of unsaturated fats.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is important in building healthy cells, and making vitamin D and some hormones. It can become a problem if the amount in the blood is too high, increasing a person's chances of having a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Sodium

Sodium is part of salt. Sodium is needed for fluid balance, but too much can contribute to high blood pressure. Almost all foods have small amounts of sodium, but many processed foods are high in sodium.

Total Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy. The food label gives total carbohydrates along with fiber, total sugars, and added sugars.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber itself has no calories and is a necessary part of a healthy diet. Fiber can help you feel full and promotes bowel regularity. High-fiber diets can help lower cholesterol levels and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Sugars

Some foods naturally contain sugar, like fruit and milk. Snack foods, candy, and soda, on the other hand, often have added sugars. Added sugars add calories without important nutrients. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s less than 50 grams of added sugars a day.

Protein

Protein makes up most of the body — including muscles, skin, organs and tissues, and the immune system. If the body doesn't get enough carbohydrates or fats, it can use protein for energy.

Vitamin and Minerals

The FDA requires listing some important vitamins and minerals on the Nutrition Facts label. These include:

• Vitamin D: Needed to absorb calcium to build bones and keep them strong. Vitamin D also plays a part in heart health and fighting infection.
• Calcium: Needed for strong bones. It keeps nerves and muscles working and the heart healthy.
• Iron: Which helps the body make new, healthy red blood cells. Not enough iron leads to anemia.
• Potassium: Like sodium, it's important for fluid balance and helps control blood pressure.

Label Listings for Avoiding Allergies

Reading the ingredient list is especially important if someone in your family has a food allergy. Food labels must include the ingredients that are in the product, listed in order of how much of the ingredient the food contains. Food-makers are required to clearly state on food labels whether the product contains these common food allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

In some cases, it's easy to identify what's safe to eat by checking the listed ingredients on a label. But some ingredients that could trigger an allergic reaction may be listed under an unfamiliar name. If your child has a food allergy, a dietitian can teach about foods to avoid and hidden ingredients to watch for.

Use your food label smarts to make good choices when shopping for your family.

There are three types of product dates commonly printed on packaged foods and beverages:

• “Sell by” tells how long the manufacturer suggests that a store should sell items such as meat, poultry, eggs, or milk products. Make sure you buy by this date.
• “Use by” tells how long items will be at peak quality. If you buy or use the product after that date, some might be stale or less tasty.
• “Best if used by” (or “best if used before”) tells how long the item will have the best flavor or quality.

None of these dates tell you when an item is no longer safe to eat or drink. In fact, product dates are not required by federal regulations and are added voluntarily by manufacturers.

Learn more about food safety and older adults.

How to read the Nutrition Facts label

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires a Nutrition Facts label on most packaged foods and beverages. At the top of the Nutrition Facts label, you will find the total number of servings in the container and the food or beverage’s serving size. The serving size on the label is based on the amount of food that people may typically eat at one time and is not a recommendation of how much to eat. Read more about serving and portion sizes.

The remainder of the label information is usually based on one serving of the food or beverage (see Food Label A). However, if the container has more than one serving but typically might be consumed in one sitting — such as a pint of ice cream — the label will have two additional columns (see Food Label B). The first of these columns lists the calories and nutrients in one serving. The second  lists that same information for the entire container. If you eat an entire package of food that contains two servings, you will get twice as many calories, nutrients, sugar, and fat as are in one serving.

Feeling confused about how much of these nutrients you should eat? Check out our resources about how much and what older adults should eat to support healthy aging.

Although frozen and canned fruits and vegetables have food labels, fresh varieties often do not. You can find nutrition information for fresh vegetables and fruits on the USDA website. Or you can call the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Information Center at 301-504-5414.

Understanding percent Daily Value (% DV)

The percent Daily Value (% DV) tells how much a nutrient in a serving of the food or beverage contributes to a total daily 2,000-calorie diet. Although the average person needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain their weight, individuals may need more or fewer depending on their lifestyle. If you are eating fewer calories per day and eat one serving, your % DV will be higher than what you see on the label. Some nutrients on the Nutrition Facts label do not have a % DV, but consumers can still use the number of grams to compare and choose products.

Most older adults exceed the recommended limits for saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars. Compare and choose foods to get less than 100% DV of these each day, making sure to adjust for how many calories are in your diet. Additionally, many older adults do not get the recommended amounts of dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium. Eating enough foods that contain these nutrients can reduce the risk of developing some diseases and conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. Compare and choose foods to aim for 100% DV of these nutrients.

The % DV information is not calculated with the unique needs of older adults in mind. Read the nutrition label as a whole to determine how a particular food or drink fits into your healthy eating pattern. 

If a food has 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving, it is considered low in that nutrient. If it has 20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving, it is considered high in that nutrient. Low or high can be either good or bad — it depends on whether you need more of a nutrient (like dietary fiber) or less (like saturated fat).

How to read the ingredient list

The ingredients in packaged food and beverage items are listed separately from (and often below) the Nutrition Facts label. This information lists each ingredient in the product by its common or usual name, and in descending order by weight. That is, the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last. 

Be on the lookout for terms that indicate added sugar, such as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, and high-fructose corn syrup. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame should also be consumed in moderation. 

Light, low-calorie, organic labeling — what do these mean?

Sometimes, food and beverage packaging includes terms that may try to convince the consumer the food is healthy. To help avoid confusion, the FDA sets specific rules for what food manufacturers can call “light,” “low,” “reduced,” “free,” and other terms. This type of labeling may have little to do with how nutritious the food is. Here are some examples and what they mean:

• Light. Light products are processed to reduce either calories or fat. This may sound healthy, but some “light” products are simply watered down. Check carefully to see if anything has been added to make up for the reduced calories and fat, such as sugar.
• Low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb. These foods have a legal limit to how many calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates (carbs) they can contain per serving. However, if a serving size is very small, you may end up eating multiple servings in one sitting, ultimately consuming the same amount of fat, calories, and carbs as the regular version of the food.
• Multigrain. This sounds healthy but only means that a product contains more than one type of grain. Unless the product is marked as whole grain, it is possible the grains are all refined grains, which have likely lost important nutrients during processing.
• Organic. Products declared organic must be produced without conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, biotechnology, or ionizing radiation. Organic animals must be fed organic feed and not be injected with hormones or antibiotics. Remember, organic foods may still have the same number of calories, fats, proteins, and carbs as a nonorganic food.

While these descriptions or terms are regulated by the FDA, others aren’t, so always check the nutrition label to see if the product matches your healthy eating goals.

If you’re unsure about an ingredient or label description, visit the FDA website to learn more.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For more information about food labels

USDA MyPlate 703-305-2060

www.myplate.gov