Understanding a nutritional facts label for new product development - Foodresearchlab

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UNDERSTANDING A NUTRITIONAL FACTS LABEL FOR NEW
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
An Academic presentation by Dr. Nancy Agnes,
Head, Technical Operations, FoodResearchLab
Group www.foodresearchlab.com Email
info_at_foodresearchlab.com
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Today's Discussion
OUTLINE
Introduction Study the ingredient list Other
common labels
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Introduction
The secret to understanding a food label is
knowing what exactly to look for. Once you to
see the label jargon, it is no longer difficult
to make your healthy purchases The front label
often lures customers into buying products based
on health claims. Manufacturers often tend to
use misleading health claims. Terms such as
"fresh natural", no additives, no
cholesterol are causing serious confusion among
consumers. Contd...
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The nutrition facts label is a label required on
most packaged food in many countries, showing
what nutrients (to limit and get enough of) are
in the food. Labels are usually based on
official n utritional rating systems. Most
countries also release overall nutrition guides
for general educational purposes. In some cases,
the guides are based on different dietary
targets for various nutrients than the labels on
specific foods.
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Study the Ingredient List
A good rule of thumb is to scan the food
ingredients list, as the product is made up.
Food Product ingredients are often listed by quan
tity from highest to the lowest amount by
weight. The ingredient list will include refined
grains, sugar and hydrogenated oils, which can
be used to screen healthy and unhealthy options.
Contd...
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The ingredient list that is longer than 2-3 lines
also will suggest that the product is highly
processed.
This information will be crucial for consumers
with allergies and wise consumers who would like
to know how much of their product is diluted with
water or contains preservatives and artificial
additives. Contd...
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Contd...
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Serving size and number of servings is the first
information you can find on the n utritional
facts label after nutrient analysis . Consumers
need to compare the amount they normally consume
to the serving size listed on the label. The f
ood ingredient supplier normally lists this
information in common household measurements,
such as in pieces, cups or ounces. Consuming
larger portions might lead to weight gain, as you
are consuming twice the amount of calories and
nutrients.
Contd...
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U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency had
made it mandatory to print the calorie count in
largerand bolder in the label, making it easier
for the average consumer during f ood product
development. The nutritional information label
also provides a column of values called per
cent Daily Value ( DV). It denotes how much
of a nutrient is present in one serving of food
which needs to be consumed one day. This value
is based on an average daily diet of 2000
calories.
Contd...
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However, this value varies from person to person
based on gender, age and activity
levels. Generally, a serving size of 5 or lower
daily value is low, and a serving size with 20
is considered high. Contd...
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Figure 2. An example of Nutritional facts label
Contd...
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Dietary Fiber aids in the digestion of food that
one consumes. Fiber reduces the risk of heart
disease, diabetes and even a few types of cancer.
A fiber rich food will contain more than 5 grams
per serving of food. Fruits, vegetables and
whole grains are usually rich in fiber
content. Men under the age of 50 should consume
at least 38 grams per day, and women under this
category should become consumer at least 25
grams. Contd...
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"Healthy" foods must contain very little fat,
with limited cholesterol and sodium. Fat
contains more calories than carbs or protein per
gram of food. Consumers should choose
unsaturated fatty acids and limit saturated and
trans-fat. Saturated fat increases the risk of
heart disease and could lead to high
cholesterol. The average consumer should not
consume more than 20 grams of saturated fat per
day.
Contd...
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Partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated also
indicates that the product contains
trans-fat. Trans-fat is also unhealthy and leads
to an increased risk of heart disease. The
average consumer should get 0 grams of trans-fat
per day. Trans-fat is often present in fried
foods, snacks, margarine and hydrogenated
vegetable oils. For instance, "trans-fat free"
products should only contain 0.5 mg of trans fats
and "cholesterol-free" foods can contain up to 2
milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams of
saturated fat.
Contd...
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Overall, anyone should not consume more than 200
milligrams of cholesterol per day. Sodium
should be restricted to less than one teaspoon of
salt per day (2300 mg) for healthy
individuals. Consumers with high blood pressure
should not consume more than 1500 mg per
day. Packaged foods with a serving label low-sod
ium may contain up to 140 milligrams of sodium.
Contd...
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Sugar adds plenty of calories and is often listed
on the label in different terms, such as high
fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, dextrose,
turbinado et. These days artificial sweeteners
are added to provide sweetness with fewer
calories. It will be healthy to choose foods
with less than 5 grams of sugar per
serving. Packaged foods with a serving label
low-calorie can have a maximum of 40
calories. Some products are naturally rich in
sugar.
Contd...
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The fact that the manufacturer claims no added
sugar, doesnt necessarily make it
healthy. Fortified Vitamins and minerals include
vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron
and potassium, which are added to give a
wholesome balanced diet meal. 14 vitamins could
be included in a product based on the end
product. Some of the uncommon labels might
include, biotin, choline, niacin, pantothenic
acid, riboflavin and thiamin.
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Other Common Labels
ORGANIC/NATURAL/FRESH
Products declared under these categories should
not contain any conventional pesticides,
synthetic fertilizers, and organic animal
products should not contain hormones or
antibiotics. Organic or natural food does not
necessarily have to be better than the
conventional foods. It depends on growing
conditions, food storage and nutritional
composition.
Contd...
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Organic foods do contain the same or similar
amount of carbohydrate, fat, protein and
calories. Fruits and vegetables grown without
chemicals or pesticides would be ideal and may
contain higher levels of antioxidants. However,
not everyone can afford it. Normal produce still
contains the same nutrients, so wash them well
and keep your budget to a minimum. Multigrain
or made with whole grains may contain more than
one type of grain and contain very little whole
grains.
Contd...
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The grains could also be refined for further
processing. Similarly, gluten-free indicates the
absence of gluten in the product, which could be
concerning for some individuals. Flavors are not
generally obtained from actual fruits, such as
the natural strawberry flavour in a
yoghurt. Chemicals designed to taste like fruit
are added to the product mix.
Contd...
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