Myth: Some of the information on food packages isn’t very clear.

Answer: YOU’RE RIGHT!

But, help is on the way. Like you, about 42% of adults look at the label while shopping, according to a USDA study. Unveiled today were proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts panel you see on food packages. If these changes are made, the information on your food label would get a reality check. How so?

• Serving sizes would be more realistic. A bottle of 20-ounce soda would be considered as one serving instead of two. No more having to do the math to get the total calories in a bottle. That pint of ice cream? 4 servings? Really? No, in the real world we serve ourselves one cup so a pint would be two servings.
• Added (refined) sugars would be new information provided on the label because Americans consume too much sugar and there is much evidence linking high sugar in the diet to heart disease.
• There will be no hiding from the calorie information on the label. The number of calories will be bigger and bolder. Calories from fat would no longer be on the label next to the total calories.
• Vitamins and minerals that appear on the label will change. Vitamins A and C will be dropped. Vitamin D and potassium will be added. Americans aren’t getting enough vitamin D for good bone health. Potassium is also an important part of our diets as it may help to lower blood pressure. Calcium and iron will remain on the label.
• In addition to the proposed new format with the changes above, an alternative label format is provided. The amount of various nutrients is presented differently in sections. There’s a ‘Quick Facts’ section that includes fats, carbohydrates and protein, an ‘Avoid too much’ section for saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars, and a ‘Get enough’ section with fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.

The public is asked to provide comments for the next 90 days. For more information, go to www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm387418.htm. There is a button at the top of the page for the Spanish version of this announcement.

Click image to see larger version

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: If a food has the word ‘simple’ in the name, it’s a healthy food choice.

Answer: BUSTED!

If you’ve been following food labeling as I have been, you have probably noticed how many manufacturers use the word ‘natural’ on packaging to attract consumers to their products. Natural sells. Consumers assume a food labeled ‘natural’ is healthy. The problem? What does natural mean? The Food and Drug Administration’s take on natural is this: It’s OK for manufacturers to use the term if the food doesn’t have "added color, artificial flavors or synthetic substances." The United States Department of Agriculture says that meat and poultry can be labeled ‘natural’ if they are minimally processed and have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

As you might expect, some lawsuits have arisen from the use of the vague term ‘natural’ on foods. The result? Some companies are not using this on foods anymore. Some have replaced ‘natural’ with the words ‘simple’ or ‘simply.’ What does it mean? There’s no standard definition as with ‘natural.’ But you can be sure that the word likely resonates well with consumers who see it on the label and think the product is a healthy food choice. It might be. Or it might not be.

Check the Nutrition Facts label & ingredients list

How can you tell whether or not the item is actually healthy? The Nutrition Facts label will tell you the amount of calories, fat, sodium, sugar and fiber that is in the product. And skim the ingredient list to see where certain ingredients land on the list (the higher up the list, the more there is in the product). In the case of sugar, you might see several types of sugar or sweetener on the list meaning that the product has more sugar than you think.

Read more at missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut300.htm

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: “95% fat free” means only 5% of the calories come from fat.

Answer: BUSTED!

If a product is advertised as 5% fat, that means 5% of the total weight of the product is from fat. The actual number of calories from fat can be much higher.

For example, you have a luncheon meat package that says “95% fat free.” The Nutrition Facts Label tells you that each slice of meat has 45 calories and 2 grams of fat. Since each gram of fat has 9 calories per gram, multiply (2 x 9 = 18), so 18 of the 45 calories are from fat. That’s 40%!

Nutrition Facts label gives you all the info you need!

This nutrition information is on packaged foods and is now found on major cuts of raw meat and poultry products. Bottom line: skip the advertisement on the package and read the Nutrition Facts Label to really determine the fat content of a product.

Visit MissouriFamilies.org to find more information on fats and health.

Contributor: Karen Sherbondy, MEd, RD, LD, Extension Associate, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Extension, 816-655-6227

Myth: The Nutrition Facts label is never updated.

Answer: BUSTED!

The FDA just announced that they plan to publish a proposed rule to update the Nutrition Facts label by the end of 2012. This rule will reflect the FDA’s ideas about how to change the Nutrition Facts label. It is expected that the FDA will look at serving sizes, daily values and format changes. In addition, they might add new nutrients to the label.

The Nutrition Facts panel began appearing on foods in 1991. Since then there has only been minor tweaking of the label, including the addition of trans fat information.

Remember that the Nutrition Facts label is a requirement by the government for manufacturers. This information differs from various front-of-packaging labels that groups of manufacturers and other entities have added to packages recently. One example of this type of labeling is Facts Up Front. This front-of-packaging labeling is not required by the government and is voluntary.

For more information about making healthy food choices, visit MissouriFamilies.org

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: I can use front-of-package labels to make healthier food choices.

Answer: BUSTED! (for now)...

If you’ve looked closely at food packages recently, you’ve seen that many products now have additional nutrition information on the front. Some food companies have been voluntarily using different nutrition labels on food packages based on different criteria. The lack of a consistent approach leads to confusion and makes it difficult for a consumer to compare products using the labels.

The government has stepped into the fray. The IOM (Institute of Medicine) issued a report last week calling for a standardized point system that would use levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium and sugar to evaluate foods. These front-of-package labels would also include calories. Why only calories, saturated and trans fats, sodium and sugar? They are most closely tied to disease. This labeling would be much like the Energy Star® system that identifies products that meet certain standards.

One system will be used by all companies. It will be a rating system that will interpret the nutrition information of a product using symbols to represent each level of the rating system. These symbols will become easily recognized by consumers after a period of time and will act as a quick reference guide to help consumers compare products and make the best decision. When you consider that the average consumer spends less than 30 seconds making choices in the grocery store you can see that a rating system like the one recommended would be helpful.

What are the drawbacks? The recommended rating system wouldn’t include other information about food like the vitamin, mineral or fiber content. Likely, this information would continue to be available on the Nutrition Facts label found elsewhere on a food package. (FDA is working to update and improve the Nutrition Facts label required on food packages.) Additionally, it is possible that some foods that aren’t “best” choices could get high ratings. As with any system, it would not be perfect.

Don’t expect to see what the IOM has recommended on packages just yet. If such a rating system is approved (rules have to be developed and there is a period of public comment), the system would need to be developed and tested first.

For more information, check out the 4-page brief of the IOM report's recommendations.

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: A sandwich doesn't fit with the new MyPlate symbol so I just won’t count it.

Answer: BUSTED!

The new MyPlate symbol shows you how to choose foods to make a healthy plate. But how does a sandwich fit with MyPlate? How do you know how much of each ingredient on your plate contributes to the recommended amounts for each food group? You could take each sandwich ingredient and estimate how much of each ingredient is in the sandwich. Or, you can use MyFoodaPedia. This nifty website from the U.S. Department of Agriculture can tell you what your meal is providing. Enter “sandwich” in the food name area and you will get a drop down menu with various sandwich choices. If you click on roast beef, for example, you will see on the left side of the screen the recommended daily total amounts for each food group for a 2000 calorie diet. On the right you will see how the ingredients in the roast beef sandwich contributes to the recommended amounts for each food group. You can also see how many calories the extras (added sugar, fat and, in some cases, alcohol) like ketchup or mayonnaise add to the sandwich. (No, adding ketchup doesn’t mean you have contributed to the daily recommended amount from the vegetable group!) Here is a screenshot of the roast beef sandwich information:

Want to compare a roast beef sandwich to another sandwich choice? Click on “Compare two foods” and it tells you to enter another food in the box or click on one of the choices in the drop-down menu. You can then compare how the two choices contribute to the recommended daily total amounts for each food group as well as the calories they have and the calories from extras in the two choices. Here is a screenshot comparing the roast beef sandwich to a ham sandwich with mayo:

Find a mobile app version of this website at http://apps.usa.gov/myfood-a-pedia/

For more nutrition and health information go to MissouriFamilies.org

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933