Food Labels - Learn How to Read Nutrition Facts Labels

In order to make healthy decisions when you shop for foods, you need to understand all the information on food labels. Here's how to read a Nutrition Facts Label:

The Nutrition Facts Food Label

Do you read the Nutrition Facts food labels when you shop? Since 1994, the FDA has required food labels called Nutrition Facts to be placed on most food packaging. The Nutrition Facts food labels are easy to find, right next to the ingredients list.

Nutrition Facts labels may be formatted vertically or horizontally on some packages and small packages may have an abbreviated version of the Nutrition Facts label. Most often, you will find vertical Nutrition Facts food labels. For example, this is a food label like one that you would see on a can of condensed chicken noodle soup:

It looks like a lot of information to read and understand all at once, but it really is easy to understand if you look at the Nutrition Facts food label one section at a time. Once you have gone through each step, try the Nutrition Facts Label Quiz.

Nutrition Facts - Serving Information

The top of the Nutrition Facts label gives you serving information. This is very important, because the information that you learn from the rest of the Nutrition Facts label depends on the serving size. There are two parts to the serving information on the Nutrition Facts label, the serving size and the number of servings.

The actual package size is not the same as the serving size and this can be very misleading. If a package of cookies contains six cookies and a serving size is equal to two cookies, that means the entire package contains three servings, not one. On the chicken noodle soup example above, it is important to note that a serving is one-half cup of the condensed soup as it comes in the can and not one-half cup of the soup after it has been mixed with water. Always look here to see if the serving size should be measured or counted before the product is prepared or after.

Sometimes, the number of servings may be easier to understand. On the chicken noodle soup Nutrition Facts label, the number of servings is given as about 2.5. That means if you prepare the can of soup with any amount of water and eat the whole thing yourself, you have eaten two and one-half servings...and that doesn't include any crackers.

Nutrition Facts - Calories, Fat, Carbohydrates, and Protein

The next section of the Nutrition Facts food label contains information about calories, fat content, amount and types of carbohydrates, and amount of protein. The label shows the amounts in grams (g) or milligrams (mg) and it gives us the percentage of the daily value needed for each of these nutrients. This is based on a 2000 calorie per day diet, so it won't be exactly right for everybody, but will give you an idea of how the food item will fit into your energy nutrient needs.

When you look at this part of the Nutrition Facts label, you need to make a mental note of how these nutrients fit into your diet and meal planning. These Daily Value Percentages are based on the USDA's suggestions that your diet be made up of 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fats, and 20 percent protein. If you are on a low carb diet or a low fat diet, these percentages won't work for your diet, and you will have to do the math yourself.

Notice that sodium information is located here rather than with the other minerals down lower on the Nutrition Facts label. Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure and since so many people eat way too much sodium, this information is displayed prominently. In the chicken noodle soup Nutrition Facts food label above, you can see that one serving of condensed chicken noodle soup has 37 percent of our daily need for sodium. If you eat the whole can of soup, you would get almost all of your sodium need for the whole day, around 92 percent.

This part of the Nutrition Facts label also contains information on fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that we cannot digest and we need it for healthy bowel function and normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels. You can see from our example, chicken noodle soup from a can doesn't contain much fiber.

The amount and types of fats are shown on this part of the label as well. Trans fat numbers were the most recent addition and should always be close to zero no matter how much fat you eat in a day.

Vitamins and Minerals

The next section of the Nutrition Facts food label shows the vitamin content of the product. The FDA requires that information on calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C all be included on the Nutrition Facts label. Sometimes the food manufacturers will add information about other vitamins like niacin or folic acid if the product contains any significant amounts of those nutrients. Iron and calcium are often deficient in our diets, so it is good to keep track of these numbers.

On our chicken soup Nutrition Facts label, we can see that we get some vitamin A and some iron, but no vitamin C or calcium. That means we will have to get those nutrients, as well as other nutrients from the rest of our diet. Remember, if you eat the whole thing you have to multiply those percentages by the number of servings you just ate.

Suggested Daily Requirements

The bottom portion of the Nutrition Facts food label may not be present on smaller items, but it is a good reminder of our general needs based on a 2000 or 2500 calorie per day diet. If you are not sure how many calories you need per day, use this Calorie Need and Nutrition Guide to help you.

Now that you know what information is available on the Nutrition Facts labels, make sure you use this information to your advantage by choosing foods that fit into your healthful diet. Want to test yourself? Take the Nutrition Facts Label Quiz.