Q: How can I use the new food label quickly and easily?


 A: The labels contain a new nutritional reference tool called the %Daily Value that tells you whether a food is high or low in a nutrient like fat, sodium or cholesterol. A simple rule of thumb to follow is that if the %Daily Value is 5% or less for a particular nutrient, that food is low in that nutrient. The goal is to choose foods that together add up to no more than 100% of fat, cholesterol and sodium and at least 100% of nutrients such as fiber and calcium. In addition to the "Nutrition Facts" panel on the side or back of the package, you can check the health and nutrient claims on the front of the product.

 

Source: Excerpted from FDA flyer, 1994: The New Food Label: What Consumers Want to Know.
Updated: November 1996, Office of Food Labeling

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