NUTRITION LABELING

- Nutrition facts shall be presented in tabular form

- All nutrient quantities shall be declared in relation to the average or
usual serving in terms of slices, pieces or a specified weight or volume.
- Declaration of nutrients can be expressed in unit per serving or %
Recommended Energy and Nutrient (RENI) Intake or both.
- Locally manufactured food products intended for local consumption
shall also indicate the corresponding RENI values in actual percentage
expressed in whole numbers.
- Nutrients present in amounts less than 2% of the RENI shall be
indicated by the statement “contains less (or symbol “<“) 2% or by an
asterisk referring to this statement.

LABELLING

􀂄 Means provision of adequate information and accurate identification of the

pre-packaged foods on the package

76
 􀂄 Means by which product communicates with the consumers, traders,
regulatory agency

􀂄 It must be correct, not misleading, accurate and legible

PARTS OF A LABEL

􀂄 Principal Display Panel (PDP) or Alternate Principal Display Panel

􀂄 Portion of the package label that is most likely to be seen by the consumer.

- Sometimes, a food package may also have an alternate principal display panel,
which refers to the other surface of the package that is also suitable for display
as PDP.

􀂄 Required information:

􀂄 Product Identity Name

􀂄 Net Content Declaration

MANDATORY LABELLING REQUIREMENTS

1. Product Identity or Name of Product

􀂄 the name should distinguish the product from other products of the same type
􀂄 A sufficient precise description of the food and of its nature
􀂄 Product name should not be misleading
􀂄 The name prescribed by law

77
 2. Net Content Declaration

Expression of the weight, measure or numerical count or a combination of numerical

count and weight of the product inside the package.

- helps consumer compare product fairly.

Examples:

- NET WEIGHT 227 g

- NET CONTENTS 355 mL
- NET WT. 397 g
- 24 pieces
- NET WT. 2.95 kg
- NET CONTENTS 9.463 L

3. Ingredients

- Are defined in Article to mean “any substance, including additives, used in the
manufacture or preparation of a foodstuff and still present in the finished
product.”
- Listing of all the ingredients or components of the product in descending order
of predominance by weight

Examples:

- Snails in Coconut Milk

- Ingredients: Snail, coconut milk, salt, garlic, spices

• Benzoic acid (preservative)

• Sodium slfate (antioxidant)

• FD & C Blue No. 1

78
LET’S TAKE A REVIEW 😊

The list of ingredients, which is mandatory, can also help you make informed food
choices.
- It is important to know that the ingredients are always listed in descending
order by weight with the item in the greatest amount listed first.
- This can help you choose between products.
- Another example shown below, whole grain rolled oats is the ingredient in the
greatest amount since it is listed first.

The list of ingredients is:

• a source of certain nutrient information; and
• a source of information for people with food allergies or health concerns or for
people who avoid certain ingredients based on their beliefs.
• For example, the ingredient list will show if the food contains added sugars such
as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, golden syrup, malt syrup, invert
sugar and concentrated fruit juice.

4. Name and Address of Manufacturer, Packer or Distributor

–shown for any complaints or suggestions.

􀂋 Examples:

• Manufactured by:________________________________
• Distributed by:__________________________________
• Packed by: ____________________________________

5. Country of Origin

- Example: Product of the Philippines

79
 - Lot identification code
- The lot identification code/ production code shall be embossed or otherwise
permanently marked on immediate individual packages or containers.
- some products may appear misleading if their place of origin is not stated.

6. Open-Date Marking for specific food

- means legibly indicating a date on food labels/packages for the purpose of

informing the consumer about the expected quality of product at a given period of
time provided that it has been properly stored.

EXAMPLE: 􀂄 “Consume before”

􀂄 “Best before”
􀂄 “expiration date”
- All foods should be date marked apart from very long life products.
- Indicates the end of a period after the certain qualities to the product must be
expected to deteriorate.
- After such date, the product may still be satisfactory for human consumption &
may remain marketable, but the makers presumably no longer guarantee its best
quality.

7. Preparation Instructions – this should be shown specially on high risk food so

all bacteria are killed during cooking.

80
 8. Storage Instructions – should be given so that the date mark should be valid.
9. Information Panel

- Required information:

1. All other mandatory information which include the name and address of the
manufacturer, packer, or distributor; the ingredient list and the country of
origin

2. The nutrition facts (when present) may appear on the information panel
➢ Are you aware of the nutritional information the label provides you?
➢ If not, it is about time you learn about the nutritional qualities of all the
products you buy and plan a healthy diet.

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON FOOD LABELS?

A. NUTRITION FACTS

NUTRITION FACTS

81
What food products have Nutrition Facts?
Almost all prepackaged foods have Nutrition Facts.
Some exceptions are:
• fresh fruit and vegetables;
• raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood;
• foods prepared or processed at the store: bakery items, sausage, salads;
• foods that contain very few nutrients: coffee beans, tea leaves, spices;
• alcoholic beverages.

How do you use the Nutrition Facts table?

The Nutrition Facts table has information that will enable you to:
a. compare foods that are similar to determine which one may be a better choice for
you;
b. find foods that have more of a nutrient that you might want, like fibre, vitamin A,
calcium or iron;
c. find foods that have less of a nutrient that you might want less of, such as fat,
saturated fat, trans fat, sugars or sodium; and select foods for special diets; for
example, some individuals who manage their diabetes may want to use the
Nutrition Facts table to keep track of the amount of carbohydrate they are
consuming.

Nutrition Facts are based on a specific amount of food - compare this to the
amount you eat.

❖ The first thing you should do when you read the Nutrition Facts table is to:
• look at the specific amount of food listed; and
• compare it to how much you actually eat.

If you eat more or less than specified in the Nutrition Facts table, the amount of each
nutrient consumed will be different than what’s shown in the table.

This specific amount will be given in measures you may be familiar with, such as 1 cup
or 1 slice of bread and in a metric unit such as millilitres or grams.

It is important to refer to this amount when comparing products.

82
The specific amount of food is not necessarily a suggested quantity of food to consume.

1. SERVING & SERVING SIZE – amount per serving

- This gives you the size and total number of servings in the container.
- This reflects the amount that people customarily consume.
- Uses standard serving sizes.
- Influences the amount of nutrients a consumer will receive depending upon how
much he has consumed in relation to a serving.

Example. ½ cup (114 g)

Servings per container 4

2. AMOUNTS PER SERVING

- The total calories and the calories from fat are listed.
- These numbers help consumers make decisions about fat intake.
- The list of nutrients includes total fat, trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium,
total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein.
- These nutrients are important to our health.
- Their amounts are given in grams (g) or milligrams (mg) per serving to the right
of the nutrient.

83
 - This example shows that the amount you consume may be different than the
specific amount listed in the Nutrition Facts table.

- You should therefore refer to the Nutrition Facts table to determine the specific
amount of food listed and compare it to the amount of food that you consume.

- For packages that are consumed as one portion (e.g., small containers of yogurt,
individual-size packs of peanuts, juice-boxes), the nutrient information in the
Nutrition Facts table applies to the whole package so that it is easier for people to
know the amount of calories and nutrients they are consuming.

3. PERCENT DAILY VALUE

Now let’s look at another component of the Nutrition Facts table – the % Daily
Value.

84
 PERCENTAGE DAILY VALUE (%)
- The amounts of vitamins and minerals are listed
as a Percent Daily Value on the nutrition label.
- The Percent Daily Value for vitamins and minerals
gives a general idea of how much of a vitamin or
mineral 1 serving of the food contributes to the
total daily requirement.
- The % Daily Value is used to determine whether
there is a little or a lot of a nutrient in a specific
amount of food;
• a benchmark for evaluating the nutrient content of
foods quickly and easily; and
• based on recommendations for a healthy diet.

For example, if the Percent Daily Value for vitamin C of all the foods you eat in a day
adds up to 100%, you are getting the recommended amount of vitamin C.

How can you use the % Daily Value?

Follow these three steps to choose healthier food products:

Step 1: Look at the amount of food

- Nutrition Facts are based on a specific amount of food. Compare this to the
amount you eat.

Step 2: Read the % Daily Value.

- The % DV helps you see if a specific amount of food has a little or a lot of a
nutrient.
- As a rule of thumb, remember the following numbers:
• 5% DV or less is a little.
• 15% DV or more is a lot.
- This applies to all nutrients in the Nutrition Facts table.

85
Step 3: Choose.

- Make a better choice for you.

- You may want to look for food products with higher % DVs for fibre, vitamin A,
calcium and iron.

- You may also want to look for foods with lower % DVs for fat, saturated and trans
fats, and sodium.

- Remember to compare similar amounts of food.

- There is no mention of vitamin C in the nutrients to increase list, but for some
individuals, it could be a nutrient to increase.

- Vegetables and fruit are the best food sources of vitamin C.

Now let’s see how we can use what we have just learned to choose a cereal that
would provide more fibre.

- Here are 2 Nutrition Facts tables for cereals A and B.

- You can compare these 2 products since their weights in grams, 28 g and 30
g, are similar.
- Cereal A provides 28% of the Daily Value for fibre, whereas cereal B provides
4 % DV.
- Cereal A would be a better choice for you as part of a healthy lifestyle.
- Remember: 5% DV or less is a little and 15% DV or more is a lot.

- When comparing similar food products, such as these two cereals, you should
compare the amount of food by weight or volume (usually given in g or mL).

- This way, you are certain that you are comparing similar amounts of food.

- You may also be able to compare products that don’t have similar amounts of
food.

- For example, you could compare the % DVs of a bagel (90 g) to the % DVs of
2 slices of bread (70 g) because you would most likely eat either amount of
food at one meal.

86
 - It is also appropriate to compare the % DV listed for calcium in two single
servings of yogurt, one containing 125 g of yogurt and the other containing 175
g, as they are both sizes that you would eat at one sitting.
- ≥ 20% → high or excellent source
- 10 – 19 % → good source
- ≤ 5% → low
- Cholesterol (mg & %DV)
- Sodium ( mg & %DV)

4. VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Only 2 vitamins (A and C) and 2 minerals (calcium and iron) are required on the food
label. But, when vitamins or minerals are added to the food, or when a vitamin or mineral
claim is made, those nutrients must be listed on the nutrition label. Food companies can
voluntarily list other vitamins and minerals in the food.

87
 B. NUTRITION CLAIMS

- Are regulated statements made when a food meets certain criteria

- They are optional, and may be found only on some food products

- Nutrition claims are also referred to as nutrient content claims.

- It can also help you make informed food choices by highlighting a feature of
interest in the food, such as “Good source of vitamin C.”
- Here are examples of nutrition claims that can help you choose foods to
decrease your intake of certain nutrients, such as fat or sodium.
- To be able to use these nutrition claims, the food product must meet specific
criteria (according to government regulations and guidelines to ensure that they
are consistent and not misleading.)

- For example:
• for “sodium free”, the product must have less than 5 mg of sodium per specific
amount of food and per a pre-set amount of food specified in the regulations,
the reference amount;
• in order to be able to say the product is “low in fat”, the product must have 3 g or
less of fat per specific amount of food and per reference amount.

EXAMPLES of nutrition claims that indicate a food has more of certain nutrients which
you may want to increase, such as iron, calcium or fibre.
- Because nutrition claims are optional and only highlight one nutrient, you may
still need to refer to the Nutrition Facts table to make informed food choices.
- To be able to use these nutrition claims, the food must meet specific criteria. For
example:

88
 • the claim “source of fibre” indicates that the product must have 2 g or more of
fibre per specific amount of food and per reference amount;
• to be able to say the product is “high in fibre”, the product must have 4 g or
more of fibre per specific amount of food and per reference amount;
• for a product to have the claim “very high in fibre”, the product must have at
least 6 g of fibre per specific amount of food and per reference amount; and
• for most vitamins and minerals, a “source” indicates that a serving of the food
contains at least 5% of the Daily value, as indicated in the Nutrition Facts
table.

C. HEALTH CLAIMS --- “ A healthy diet…”

- tells about the relationship between a nutrient/food and the risk of a disease or
health-related condition may also show up on the front of the package.
There are also five health claims on how diet affects health and the reduction of the risk
of disease.

- AN EXAMPLE of one of the four claims that start with the wording “A healthy
diet...”.
1. “A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart
disease. (Naming the food) is free of saturated and trans fats.”

89
 - Government regulations specify the criteria a food must meet before a claim can
be made, and the wording of the claim to ensure that they are consistent and not
misleading.
- Because health claims are optional and only highlight a few key nutrients or
foods, you may still need to refer to the Nutrition Facts table to make food
choices that are better for you.

The other disease risk reduction claims are:

2. a healthy diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, and regular physical
activity, help to achieve strong bones and may reduce the risk of
osteoporosis;
3. a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of some
types of cancer; and
4. a healthy diet containing foods high in potassium and low in sodium may
reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a risk factor for stroke and heart
disease.
5. "[serving size from Nutrition Facts table in metric and common household
measures] of [naming the product] provides X% of the daily amount of plant
sterols shown to help reduce/lower cholesterol in adults."
- Calcium & osteoporosis- must contain 20% (200mg) or more of the RDI, for
calcium per serving.
[Link]

90
 NUTRITION LABELLING SUMMARY:

✓ Use Nutrition Facts, the ingredient list, nutrition claims and health claims to
make informed food choices.
✓ Nutrition Facts are based on a specific amount of food – compare this to the
amount you eat.
✓ Use the % Daily Value to see if a food has a little or a lot of a nutrient.
✓ REMEMBER: 5%DV or less is little, 15% DV or more is a lot.

1. Serving Size

2. Total Fat

3. Saturated Fat

4. Trans Fat

5. Cholesterol

6. Calories from Fat

7. % Daily Value

8. Sodium %

9. Dietary Fiber %
• We have just reviewed how the Nutrition Facts table can help you make
informed decisions.

91
 UNIT II: ACTIVITY 5

Betty Crocker Quaker Granola Raisins Cereal

CHOICE A CHOICE B

Using the food labels ABOVE answer the following questions: CHOICE CHOICE
A B
1. How many grams are in one serving?
2. How many calories are in one serving?
3. How many calories are from fat in one serving?
4. Find the percent of calories from fat

92
 5. Which of these two foods is a healthier choice? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

LABEL DETECTIVE

Directions: Compare 2 (two) food labels you can find at home. Then answer the
questions. Attach the labels to this sheet when you are done.

1. What two foods are you comparing?

1. __________________________ 2. _________________________
2. What are the serving sizes?

1. Food Label #1 __________________ 2. Food Label #2 _______________

3. which food has:

1. Food Label #1 2. Food Label #2

Fewer calories per
serving?
Fewer calories from fat?
Less sodium (salt)?
Less sugar?
More protein?
More Vitamin A?
More Vitamin C?
More calcium?
More Iron?

93