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.

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

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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