How do the new nutrition labels on processed foods differ from the old labels?
The new nutrition labels, which debuted in May 1994, may make evaluating the nutritional values of processed foods a little easier for most people. The new labels list not only the amounts (weights) of fat (total and saturated), cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates (total, fiber, and sugars), and protein in the food, but also the percentage of the “Daily Value” that most of these provide. (The term “Daily Value” replaces the old term “Recommended Daily Allowance,” although the actual nutrition recommendations have not changed.) Daily Value percentages are also listed for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron; depending on the food, percentages for other vitamins and minerals may be given. A Daily Value percentage is not given for protein. (FDA pamphlet #932260, “How to Read the New Food Label,” states that “most Americans get more protein than they need”; presumably this is why no value is listed.) The Daily Value percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet in which no more t
