For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

What are food labels and why are they so important?

The Food and Drug Administration requires that all processed food be labeled according to a set of guidelines. A label must list values for a 2000-calorie diet as well as limits for both a 2000 and a 2500-calorie diet. Serving sizes have been standardized based on how much of a food people eat. If manufacturers list an ingredient, they must also list the amount of that ingredient and what proportion of the recommended intake it represents.

Food manufacturers cannot:

1. Use the term 'no cholesterol' for food that never
   had any cholesterol - for example, pure peanut
   butter, a plant food, never contains cholesterol.

2. List nutrients like thiamine and riboflavin that
   are not missing from our diets.

3. Make a claim based on only one part of a food
   (like saying a chocolate-covered cherry is
   low-fat because the cherry is)

4. List information for ingredients that are in a
   package without including those one must add
   to make the food (for instance, a cake mix must
   include its calorie count the eggs the purchaser
   must add to make the cake).

Manufacturers' claims must follow certain rules:

1. 'Low in calories' means that the food can be
   eaten frequently without going beyond guidelines
   for a good diet.

2. 'Low in sodium' means less than 140mg. a
   serving.

3. 'Reduced' means the product has at least 25
   percent fewer calories of an ingredient than the regular product.

4. 'Good source' (example, fiber) means one
   serving has 10 to 19 percent of Daily Value for
   that nutrient.

5. 'Low fat' means the product contains no more
   than 3 grams of fat per serving.

6. 'Lite' means that the food contains at least
   50 percent less fat than the food it's being
   compared with.

7. 'Fresh' means that the food cannot have been
   frozen, processed, heated or chemically
   preserved.

8. 'Organic' means foods that have been prepared
   to a certain production standard. They have
   been grown without the use of conventional
   pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or sewage
   sludge. They have also not been processed
   without ionizing radiation or food additives.

Kiya Sama is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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