| In the United States, a nutrition label is used on all food packages to give the consumer details on the nutritional content of a particular food. The standard for the nutrition label was first established in 1974 and was based largely on the Recommended Daily Allowance (or RDA). Simply stated, it breaks down the food by nutritional component (ie- carbohydrate, vitamin A, etc.) and gives the percent of daily requirement fulfilled by consuming one serving size. For instance, Raisin Bran will give 15% of the Recommended Daily Requirement of Vitamin A. If you add milk to that it should be apparent that 20% of the RDA has been met. Thus, if you consume 5 bowls of cereal with milk, you will have consumed 100% of your RDA for vitamin A. Though most of you may be familiar with the term RDA, the RDA no longer serves as the basis for the food label. Today it is now based upon the closely related RDI (or Reference Daily Intake) which in fact, is based upon the 1989 RDA. In contrast to the RDA which is based on the highest required values for a specific age group, the RDI represents an average over that same age group. | |
| According to
the FDA , a nutrition label is required on all products that
make a claim or add a nutrient. Take a box of Raisin
Bran for instance. In addition to making the claim of
having high fiber (highlighted in yellow), the makers of Raisin Bran
fortify their cereal by adding additional vitamins and minerals.
Thus, a nutrition label is necessary.
Caloric content: There are roughly 9 calories per gram of fat and 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate. Thus
Added together, you get roughly 190 calories derived from the consumption of 1 serving of Raisin Bran. To calculate the amount of a substance in one serving you would need to know the RDA for that particular substance. If you know that the RDA for Iron is 18 milligrams you would multiply the percentage (in decimal form) by the RDA. To use the example on the left, if 25 percent of the RDA is fulfilled:
Thus, the amount of iron per serving size is 4.5 milligrams. Ingredients: For most foods (even candy bars) you will notice a listing of ingredients. The ordering is a logical listing determined by quantity. Those ingredients present in the largest amount are listed first, while those of lesser abundance are listed last. Manufacturer's Information: Usually located at or near the bottom of the container. Additional information can usually be found here.
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