New Food Labels

June 14, 2006 Dietary Fat and Health Fats are a group of chemical compounds used by the body for energy. Fats also help absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, and provide essential fatty acids needed for growth and development. Added fat also influences taste and provides texture for foods. There are three main types of dietary fat. Saturated fat is considered a bad form of dietary fat because its associated with elevated levels of cholesterol. Major sources of saturated fat in American diets are meats, milk and milk products. Coconut and palm oils are also sources of saturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 10 percent of daily calories come from saturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are found in products like olive, canola and peanut oils. These fats tend to lower the bodys LDL cholesterol (the "bad" type of cholesterol). Polyunsaturated fats mostly come from plant sources. They include seeds and nuts and products like safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn and cottonseed oils. These fats tend to lower overall cholesterol levels. Trans Fats Another type of fat is a common name in the food industry. Its called trans fat. Trans fat is largely a manufactured fat formed when hydrogen atoms are added to vegetable oils, causing the liquid to form a solid. The fats are commonly found in commercially prepared foods (like cookies, snack foods and baked goods) to improve flavor and increase the shelf life of a product. Trans fats are also in vegetable shortening and some brands of margarine. (Manufacturers may use the term, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, when describing trans fats in a product.) Small amounts of trans fats are found naturally in animal products, like butter, milk products, cheese and beef. Trans fats are bad for the body in two ways: they tend to increase LDL cholesterol and decrease HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol). The average American adult consumes about 5.8 grams of trans fat each day (roughly 2.6 percent of total daily calories). Eating Healthy: The Role of the Nutrition Label The nutrition label is an important source of information about a product. It not only lists the ingredients used in the preparation of the food, it provides information about the breakdown of important nutrients, like calories, serving size, and the amounts of sodium, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. In 1993, the FDA required manufacturers to list the amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol on nutrition labels. The information is helpful for those who want to limit their intake of saturated fats or reduce their cholesterol levels. Now, all products packaged after January 1, 2006, are required to carry information about trans fat content as well. (Products packaged before that date did not need to include the information, so there may still be some products on the shelf without the information.) The trans fat content is listed under the line for saturated fat. There is currently no established daily value for trans fats (the number listed as a percent in the right column). Therefore, trans fats, for now, will only be listed in terms of the number of milligrams. If a product contains less than ½ a gram of trans fat/serving, the manufacturer is allowed to list the content as 0 grams of trans fat. Comparing products can be tricky. Registered Dietitian, Suzanne McKeever, R.D., recommends consumers first be aware of the serving size listed on the nutrition label. Many packages look like they are made for one person, but actually contain more than one serving (some may contain 1½ to 2 or more servings). The nutrition facts are based on a single serving. So, for example, if a product lists one gram of trans fat/serving, but contains two servings, a consumer who eats a whole package will need to multiply the total amount of trans fat by two (to equal the two servings). The types and amounts of fat in a category of foods (for example, snack crackers) can vary by brand. The FDA recommends comparing both nutrition labels and choosing the package with lower combined amounts of saturated fat and trans fat and lower amount of cholesterol. The New List of Allergens There is another change to the nutrition label. As of January 1, 2006, manufacturers are also required to mention if a product contains any of eight important food allergens (ingredients that can trigger an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals who consume the product). Labels must now indicate if a product contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat or soybeans. The labeling requirement was instituted as part of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. AUDIENCE INQUIRY For general information of about nutrition or reading a nutrition label: American Dietetic Association, http://www.eatright.org Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, http://www.foodsafety.gov USDA, Nutrition Information Gateway, http://www.nutrition.gov BIBLIOGRAPHY Cowburn, Gill, and Lynn Stockley, "Consumer Understanding and Use of Nutrition Labeling," Public Health Nutrition, February 2005, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 21-28. Huang, T., et al., "Reading Nutrition Labels and Fat Consumption in Adolescents," Journal of Adolescent Health, November 2004, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 399-401. Lin, C., et al., "Do Dietary Intakes Affect Search for Nutrient Information on Food Labels?" Social Science Medicine, November 2004, Vol. 59, No. 9, pp. 1955-1967. Pelletier, Allen, M.D., et al., "Patients Understanding and Use of Snack Food Package Nutrition Labels," Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, September-October 2004, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 319-323. Philipson, Tomas, "Government Perspective: Food Labeling," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2005, Vol. 82, No. 1, Suppl., pp. 262S-264S. "Questions and Answers About Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling," Washington, DC: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, downloaded from website (http://www.foodsafety.gov), May 8, 2006. Roefs, A., and A. Jansen, "The Effect of Information About Fat Content on Food Consumption in Overweight/Obese and Lean People," Appetite, December 2004, Vol. 43, No 3, pp. 319-322. Satia, J., et al., "Food Nutrition Label Use is Associated with Demographic, Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors and Dietary Intake Among African Americans in North Carolina," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March 2005, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp. 392-402. Simons, E., et al., "Impact of Ingredient Practice on Food Allergic Consumers," Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, November 2005, Vol. 95, No. 5, pp. 426-428. "Trans Fat Now Listed with Saturated Fat and Cholesterol on the Nutrition Facts Label," Washington, DC: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, downloaded from website (http://www.foodsafety.gov), May 8, 2006. Verduin, Patricia, et al., "Solutions to Obesity," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2005, Vol. 82, No. 1, Suppl., pp. 259S-261S. Research compiled and edited by Barbara J. Fister