What is “food labeling”?
Food labels for most of the food products sold in the United States must have the product name, the manufacturers name and address, the amount of the product in the package and the product ingredients. The ingredients are listed in descending order, based on their weight. Under the current laws, fresh fruits, vegetables and meat are exempt from these labeling requirements. In 1973 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established “nutrition labeling” or guidelines for labeling the nutrient and caloric content of food products. Nutrition labeling is mandatory only for those foods that have nutrients added or make a nutritional claim. Manufacturers are encouraged, but not required, to provide nutrition labeling of other food products. The current nutrition labeling regulations from the FDA require a label and have the percentage of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (U.S. RDA). These standards are based on the 1968 edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), but the RDA and
