MedlinePlus: Food Labeling

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Photograph of a man and a woman reading a food label in the kitchen

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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

Start Here

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label(Food and Drug Administration)
Reading Food Labels(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews	Specific Conditions Related Issues	Health Check Tools
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Journal Articles	Organizations Law and Policy	Children Teenagers

Overviews
- Deciphering Food Labels(Nemours Foundation)
- Food Label Helps Consumers Make Healthier Choices(Food and Drug Administration)
Specific Conditions
- Food Allergies: What You Need to Know(Food and Drug Administration)
- Organic and Other Environmentally Friendly Foods(Nemours Foundation)
- Trans Fat Now Listed with Saturated Fat and Cholesterol on the Nutrition Facts Label(Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in Spanish
Related Issues
- Eating Healthier and Feeling Better Using the Nutrition Facts Label(Food and Drug Administration) - Links to PDF
- Nutrient Content Claims and Percent (%) Daily Value(American Diabetes Association)
Health Check Tools
- Using the Food Label Activity(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
- Food and Drug Administration
- Food and Nutrition Information Center
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Law and Policy
- Claims That Can Be Made for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements(Food and Drug Administration)
- FDA's Standards for High Quality Foods(Food and Drug Administration)
- Food Labeling Regulations(Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
- Organic Labeling and Marketing Information(Dept. of Agriculture) - Links to PDF
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Children
- Figuring Out Food Labels(Nemours Foundation)
- Food Labels Tell the Story!(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
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Teenagers
- The Deal with Food Labels(National Women's Health Information Center)
- What Do Food Labels Really Say?(Nemours Foundation)
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