Total Fat Saturated Fat Trans-Fat Sodium Total Carbohydrate Dietary Fiber *Total Sugars Added Sugars Vitamins and Minerals Vitamin D Calcium Iron Potassium X X X X
and is not specific to any individual food product. Daily Values for Nutrition Facts labeling are less precise than RDAs. If detailed nutrient evaluation is needed for an individual, the first choice of reference should be RDAs. However, Nutrition Facts labels do provide an excellent educational tool for consumers. They offer consistency and give consumers a way to compare nutritional values of foods. As indicated earlier, there is no actual amount of potassium, vitamin D, iron, or calcium, but only the percent of RDIs. Note that many labels provide a set of nutrient information based on their Nutrition Facts label according to common preparation practices. Using cold cereal as an example, the nutrition label values are generally for the values of one serving of dry cereal, plus another set of information for the serving of cereal plus milk. For a bakery mix, such as a muffin or pancake mix, the label may list values for the entire contents of the dry mix, and another column for the mix prepared with added ingredients, according to preparation instructions on the package.
Foods must meet specific criteria to make certain labeling claims. For example, if a manufacturer wanted to claim its food product is calorie free, the food must contain five calories or less; if they claim their product has reduced calories, the food must have at least 25 percent fewer calories than the original product. Many terms used
Nutrition Fundamentals and Medical Nutrition Therapy X X EAT LESS X X X