Food Labels

Objectives Have students understand how food is labeled

Why do we have food labels? Food labeling is required for most prepared foods breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, Snacks Nutrition labeling for raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish is voluntary. Restaurant foods claiming a certain health status (low calorie, etc) are required to have nutritional information on hand

Exemptions from food labeling: food served for immediate consumption, hospital cafeterias and airplanes, mall cookie counters, sidewalk vendors, and vending machines ready-to-eat food that is not for immediate consumption but is prepared primarily on site- bakery, deli, and candy stores food shipped in bulk, as long as it is not for sale in that form to consumers

Exemptions from food labeling: medical foods, such as those used to address the nutritional needs of patients with certain diseases plain coffee and tea, some spices, and other foods that contain no significant amounts of any nutrients. Businesses with fewer than 100 full-time equivalent employees may claim an exemption for food products that have U.S. sales of fewer than 100,000 units annually

What is included in a food Label?

Under the label's "Nutrition Facts" panel, manufacturers are required to provide information on certain nutrients. The mandatory (underlined) and voluntary components and the order in which they must appear are:

total calories calories from fat calories from saturated fat total fat saturated fat polyunsaturated fat monounsaturated fat cholesterol

sodium potassium total carbohydrate dietary fiber soluble fiber insoluble fiber sugars

sugar alcohol (Sugar substitutes) other carbohydrate (the difference between total carbohydrate and the sum of dietary fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol if declared) protein vitamin A percent of vitamin A present as beta-carotene vitamin C calcium iron other essential vitamins and minerals

Summary Questions Why do you think that Food labels are so strict with their rules? Why do you think that Food labels are so strict with their rules? What are some examples of places in bowling green that would not need any nutrition facts What are some examples of places in bowling green that would not need any nutrition facts What is sugar alcohol? What is sugar alcohol?