Nutrition Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts label is a standardized nutrition information panel required on most packaged foods and beverages sold in the United States. It is designed to help consumers understand the nutritional composition of a food and compare products. The label generally presents information for a defined serving size rather than for the entire package .^1,2

Core information includes servings per container, serving size, calories, and amounts of selected nutrients. Nutrients commonly required to be declared include total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium, although specific labeling requirements and exemptions can vary by product. Many nutrients are also accompanied by a Percent Daily Value, which places the amount in one serving in the context of standardized Daily Values .^1,2

Serving size has a specific meaning on the label. It is generally based on the amount of a food that people typically consume at one eating occasion, not on a recommended amount that they should eat. Because most nutrient information is expressed per serving, consuming multiple servings increases the calories and nutrient amounts consumed accordingly .^1,3

The Nutrition Facts label is distinct from the ingredient list. The Nutrition Facts panel quantifies energy and selected nutrients, whereas the ingredient list identifies the ingredients used to make the product, generally in descending order by weight. The label is also not an individualized dietary prescription, since personal energy and nutrient requirements can differ from the standardized reference values used for labeling .^1,2