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National Institutes of Health
Food Labeling
Also called: Nutrition labeling
With all the different products grocery stores offer, it can be hard to make the best food choices. Food labels can make the task a little easier. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires packaged foods to carry labels.
On every food label you will see
- Serving size, number of servings and number of calories per serving
- Information on the amount of dietary fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, dietary sodium, carbohydrates, dietary proteins, vitamins and minerals in each serving
- Definitions for terms such as low-fat and high-fiber
- Information to help you see how a food fits into an overall daily diet
Food and Drug Administration
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Start Here
- Deciphering Food Labels(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label(Food and Drug Administration)
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Read the Food Label(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Food Label Helps Consumers Make Healthier Choices(Food and Drug Administration)
- Also available in Spanish
- Nutrition Facts: An Interactive Guide to Food Labels(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Latest News
- How Many Calories in Your Fast-Food Meal? Guess Again(05/23/2013, HealthDay)
- Too Few Kids Use Fast-Food Calorie Info, Study Finds(05/23/2013, HealthDay)
- Knowing Time Needed to Walk Off Calories May Curb Appetite(04/23/2013, HealthDay)
- More News on Food Labeling
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Specific Conditions
- Food Product Dating(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Free Range and Other Meat and Poultry Terms(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Glimpse at 'Gluten-Free' Food Labeling(Food and Drug Administration)
- Have Food Allergies? Read the Label(Food and Drug Administration)
- How to Find the USDA Establishment (EST) Number on Food Packaging(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Also available in Spanish
- Natural Flavorings on Meat and Poultry Labels(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Nutrient Content Claims and Percentage(American Diabetes Association)
- Also available in Spanish
- Organic and Other Environmentally Friendly Foods(Nemours Foundation)
- Poultry Label Says "Fresh"(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
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Related Issues
- Additives In Meat and Poultry Products(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
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Health Check Tools
- Make Your Calories Count(Food and Drug Administration)
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Videos
- Food Label and You(Food and Drug Administration)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Food Labeling(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Food Labeling
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Research
- Can Changes in Nutrition Labeling Help Consumers Make Better Food Choices?(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Survey Shows Gains in Food-Label Use, Health/Diet Awareness(Food and Drug Administration)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Vegetarian Glossary of Terms(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
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Organizations
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Law and Policy
- Country of Origin Labeling for Meat and Chicken(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- FDA's Standards for High Quality Foods(Food and Drug Administration)
- Labeling Organic Products(Department of Agriculture) - PDF
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Children
- Figuring Out Food Labels(Nemours Foundation)
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Food Labels Tell the Story!(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
- Spot the Block: Tween Tips(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Talk to Your Kids about the Nutrition Facts Label(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
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Teenagers
- Deal with Food Labels(Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Food Labels(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Sell By, Use By. What Do They Mean?(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
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Seniors
- Using the Nutrition Facts Label: A How-To Guide for Older Adults(Food and Drug Administration)
- Also available in Spanish
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Patient Handouts
- How to read food labels
- Also available in Spanish
- Key to Choosing Healthful Foods: Using the Nutrition Facts on the Food Label(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
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