Why are some foods sold without nutrition information?
Food labels are not always required, as long as no health claims are made. Because it is costly to acquire and disseminate nutritional information, foods produced in limited quantities and/or by small businesses, ready-to-eat foods, or foods packaged for immediate consumption are exempt. In other words, foods sold in vending machines, snack bars, bakeries, restaurants, etc. are not required to have nutritional information. Also, foods that contain only insignificant amounts of nutrients considered important under the law need not have labels. Clearly, it’s quite easy to determine when there’s no nutrition information; the big problem is when they only present limited information. As long as the company is small, and the label doesn’t say “Nutrition Facts” or make specific health claims based on nutrients claimed to be in the product, it appears that they don’t have to follow standard format — or procedures.
