The New Labeling Laws

Thanks to the FDA's new food labeling rules, for the first time ever,
consumers will be able to directly compare the nutritional value of
every packaged food in the grocery store. By May of 1994, under the
provisions of the 1990 Nutrition, Labeling and Education Act,
straightforward, instructive labeling will serve to clear up the
confusion that has prevailed on supermarket shelves for years. 

A New Look

The contents and design of the nutrition information panel have been
completely revamped to reflect the switch in nutritional focus from
concerns about vitamin/mineral deficiency to the relationship between
nutrition and chronic disease. Starting with its new title, "Nutrition
Facts", the rules require that labels on all processed foods show: total
calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, protein, vitamin A,
vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Other nutritional information, such as the
breakdown of soluble and insoluble fiber as well as the amount of
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in the product, may be
listed but is not required.

To help consumers see how the particular food fits in the overall daily
diet, the amount of fat, carbohydrate, fiber, protein, cholesterol and
sodium found in the food must then be declared as a percentage of the
"Daily Value", a new label reference tool. Assuming a daily intake of
2000 calories, representative of the amount consumed by most adults and
children over the age of four, calculation of the Daily Value is based
on our country's dietary goals: 60% calories from carbohydrates, 10%
calories from protein, and 30% calories from fat, with no more than 10%
calories from saturated fat, and at least 11.5 grams of fiber per 1000
calories. Maximum limits for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and
sodium are also suggested on the label.

In a concession to the Department of Agriculture, a more hefty 2500
calorie Daily Value listing was added to the label design. The
Department, along with ranchers and the meat industry in general, were
concerned that when comparing a serving of meat to a diet based on 2000
calories and 65 grams of fat, consumers might consider it too high in
fat. Despite the obvious self interest involved, the addition of another
calorie option will be a helpful reference for athletes and other
individuals who need more calories than the average person.

Exceptions to the nutrition panel format are allowed on labels of foods
made specifically for children under the age of four. The FDA has not
established the Daily Value for this age group.

You won't find any information about fats or cholesterol on labels of
foods made for children under the age of two. Adequate fat intake is
vitally important during these years to ensure satisfactory growth and
development. The exclusion of information concerning fat on the labels
is to prevent parents from assuming that infants and toddlers should
restrict their fat intake.



Apples to Apples

The new standardized serving sizes make nutritional comparisons of
similar products much easier. Rather than leaving it up to the
discretion of the manufacturer who may be tempted to finagle the serving
sizes to make their product look nutritionally superior, the serving
sizes now reflect the amounts that people actually eat at one time.

Under the provisions of the label reform, manufacturers will now be
speaking the same language. Nutrient content descriptors like "low fat",
"low cholesterol", "good source of", "reduced", and "light" will mean
the same for any product on which they appear. Even the term "healthy"
has regained believable status. To be used on a label to describe a
product, a "healthy" food must be low in total fat, low in saturated
fat, and contain no more than 60 mg. cholesterol per serving.



Food & Health

A welcome surprise in the new labeling laws is the approval to label
seven relationships between a nutrient or a food and the risk of a
disease or health related condition. A useful tool for those who are
concerned about eating foods that may help keep them healthier longer,
allowable nutrition-disease relationship claims include: calcium and
osteoporosis, fat and cancer, fat and heart disease, fiber-containing
foods and cancer, fiber-containing foods and heart disease, sodium and
hypertension, and the beneficial relationship of fruits and vegetables
that are a good source of vitamins A and C in prevention of cancer.
Criteria for use is quite strict. For example, to carry the claim
linking a product that contains calcium with helping prevent the
occurrence of osteoporosis, a food must contain 20% or more of the Daily
Value for calcium (200 mg.) per serving. The form of calcium must also
be readily absorbed (good-bye Tums) and equal to or exceed the amount of
phosphorus found in the foo d. Along with the claims, teens and young
adult white and Asian women, who are most in need of adequate calcium
intakes must be named as the target population. The need for exercise
and a healthy diet must also be implicated as key in the fight against
osteoporosis.

Likewise, claims for the beneficial relationship of fruits, vegetables
and grains with preventing cancer and heart disease can only be used if
the food containing these ingredients meet the descriptor qualifications
for "low fat" and are a "good source" of high fiber and/or antioxidant
rich without fortification.



Full Disclosure

Equally exciting is the full disclosure required under the new
regulations. All FDA certified color additives must now be listed by
name rather than the nondescript, all-inclusive term "color". In memory
of the MSG and hydrolyzed protein controversy a couple of years ago,
sources of protein hydrolysates which are used in many foods as flavors
and flavor enhancers are required to be specifically named. Foods that
claim to be non-dairy such as coffee whiteners and soy cheese but
include caseinate as an ingredient must now indicate that caseinate is
derived from milk. And beverages that claim to contain juice are
required to declare their total percentage of juice on the information
panel.



Exemptions

But don't expect everything you eat to wear a label. Food served in
restaurants, cafeterias, airplanes; purchased from vending machines,
sidewalk vendors, mall cookie and candy counters; or ready-to-eat food
prepared and sold primarily on-site such as bakery, deli, and candy
store items are not required to be sold with a nutritional label. Foods
produced by small businesses with food sales of less than $50,000 per
year or total sales of less than $500,000 are also exempt. Packages with
less than 12 square inches available for labeling can skip printing the
nutritional data but must provide an address or phone number to enable
consumers to obtain the information if so desired.



Hats off!

It took over two years of resisting pressure from the food industry,
listening to consumer groups, and condensing nutritional suggestions
from health practitioners for the FDA to come up with their final food
labeling regulations. We can only commend them for their work and hope
that the easy to read, detailed nutritional information now provided on
labels will serve to help all Americans choose more healthful diets.


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Whole Foods Market web pages (http://www.wholefoods.com/wf.html)
are maintained by The Whole Foods Market Communications Team

Copyright Whole Foods Market, 1995, wfm@wholefoods.com

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Reprinted (October 1995) with permission from Whole Foods Market

