How important is it to know how to read the nutrition label of a food product before we buy it from the grocery store?
In the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Administrative Order No. 2014-0030, also known as the Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food Products (FDA Labeling Regulations). This governs the labeling of all prepackaged food products, which include food supplements, whether locally or internationally manufactured.
The FDA Labelling Regulations mandate the presence of specific information in the labels of all prepackaged food, which is called Mandatory Label Information. This includes Nutrition Facts or Nutrition Information, among others. The display of Nutrition Facts is significant as it provides consumers knowledge on the amount of nutrients from the food products being sold in the market for consumption.
In reading Nutrition Facts, the first part to read is the serving size. This is found on the topmost part of the Nutrition Facts. The serving size provides information on the amount of one serving of the food product. The amount is generally expressed in units of grams, pieces or cups. It reflects the typical amount a consumer eats, but not the amount that is recommended to be consumed. From this, the number of serving per container is provided, based on the number of serving sizes in the container.
Generally, the next information found is the calories. The number provided next to the “calories” or “energy” is the amount of calories in one serving, based on the serving size. Calories refer to the amount of energy provided by the food. It is important to know the calories per day recommended for your body to compare it to the amount of calories from the food, and know if you are taking too much or too little calories. Too much calories from recommended intake result in weight gain and less calories result in weight loss. Keep in mind that you are also getting calories from other foods you eat on the same day.
Below the calories is a list of nutrients such as the carbohydrates, protein and fat, which are the macronutrients, and certain vitamins and minerals which are the micronutrients. Each amount of the nutrients per serving is found beside the corresponding nutrient. It should be noted that macronutrients are to be wary of as these provide calories and as aforementioned, cause weight gain when consumed too much. Long term effects of consuming too much are noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Micronutrients should be taken enough as this function in bodily processes and are usually deficient in calorie-dense diets.
Percent daily value found on the rightmost of each nutrient provides information on the percentage the amount of each nutrient per serving provides relevant to the recommended diet. Usually, this is based on a 2000-calorie diet, as stated in the lowermost part of the nutrition facts panel. That is why it is important to be familiar with the amount of nutrients recommended for your body. As a general rule, less than 5% is little and more than 20% is too much.
It is necessary to learn to read nutrition facts on the prepackaged food products that we buy - to serve its purpose of informing us consumers on the nutrient content of the food that we consume, and for us to be able to deliver smart and better food choices for ourselves. (PNC Nadela/OIC-NPC Flores)
