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Q: What is the proper temperature for your refrigerator?
A: Refrigerators should stay at 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) or less. A
temperature of 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) or less is important because it
slows the growth of most bacteria. The temperature won't kill the
bacteria, but it will keep them from multiplying, and the fewer there are,
the less likely you are to get sick form them.
Freezing at zero degree F (minus 18 degree C) or less stops bacterial
growth (although it won't kill all bacteria already present).
Q: How long can leftover food be left out of the refrigerator?
A: Hot foods should be refrigerated as soon as possible within two hours
after cooking. But don't keep the food if it's been standing out for more
than two hours. Don't taste test it, either. Even a small amount of
contaminated food can cause illness.
Date leftovers so they can be used within a safe time. Generally, they
remain safe when refrigerated for three to five days. If in doubt, throw
it out, "It's not worth a foodborne illness for the small amount of
food usually involved.
Q: How can I use the new food label quickly and easily?
A: The labels contain a new nutritional reference tool called the %Daily
Value that tells you whether a food is high or low in a nutrient like fat,
sodium or cholesterol. A simple rule of thumb to follow is that if the
%Daily Value is 5% or less for a particular nutrient, that food is low in
that nutrient. The goal is to choose foods that together add up to no more
than 100% of fat, cholesterol and sodium and at least 100% of nutrients
such as fibre and calcium. In addition to the "Nutrition Facts"
panel on the side or back of the package, you can check the health and
nutrient claims on the front of the product.
Q: How should I use the %Daily Value (%DV) column on the food label?
A: By using the %Daily Values, you can easily determine whether a food
contributes a lot or a little of a particular nutrient. And you can
compare different foods with no need to do any calculations. A high
percentage means the food contains a lot of a nutrient and a low
percentage means it contains a little
Look to see whether the nutrients most of us need more of (such as total
carbohydrates, dietary fibre, and certain vitamins and minerals) have high
percentages. Look to see whether the nutrients most of us need to limit
(such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and for some people, sodium)
have low percentages.
The goal is to choose foods that together give you close to 100 percent of
each nutrient for a day, or average about 100 percent a day over a few
days, depending on the nutrient.
For example, if your goal is 2,000 calories, your total fat intake would
be no more than 65 grams, the upper limit recommend for a 2,00 calorie
daily diet. If the food you're preparing has 16 grams for fat per serving
and shows the %Daily Value for total fat per serving at 25 percent, then
you know that all the other foods you eat that day should total 75 percent
or less of the Daily Value for total fat (or 49 grams of fat).
You can use the %Daily Value column to easily compare one product to
another. If you want to lower the fat in your diet, you can compare
products and select the ones with the lower %. You can also use the %Daily
Value to make dietary trade-offs with other foods throughout the day. This
means you don't have to deprive yourself of a favourite food that might be
high in fat, if you watch what else you eat the rest of the day.
Q: How can I use the food label to reduce the amount of fat and
cholesterol in my diet?
A: Some of the label information, such as that about fat - particularly
saturated fat and cholesterol, will be of special interest to people
concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease.
High intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to high blood
cholesterol, which in turn is linked to increased risk of coronary heart
disease (CHD). CHD is the most common form of heart disease and is caused
by narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart.
For the general population, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend
that fat intake be limited to no more than 30 percent of the day's total
calorie intake. Saturated fat intake should be limited to no more than 10
percent of the day's calories. The Daily Values used in food labelling
follow these same guidelines.
Thus, people eating 2,000 calories a day should limit their daily fat
intake to no more than 65 grams (g): (30 percent times 2,000 calories =
600 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 65g). They should limit
saturated fat intake to no more than 20g a day. (10 percent times 2,000
calories = 200 calories divided by 9 calories/gram of fat = 20g.)
The 2,00 calorie level is the basis on which %Daily Values on the label
are calculated. This level was chosen partly because it is a "user
friendly" number that allows for easy adjustments in Daily Value
numbers, if consumers want to figure them to their own diet and calorie
intakes.
The Daily Value for cholesterol is 300 milligrams (mg). It remains the
same whatever the person's calorie intake. FDA and USDA chose this level
because it corresponds to the recommendations of other health
organisations, such as the American Heart Association, the National
Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and the National
Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institutes of Health.
People with severe high blood cholesterol levels or heart disease may need
to limit their total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intakes even
further. Camille Brewer, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in FDA's
Office of Food Labelling, advises people with specific health problems
that require a low fat, low cholesterol diet to see a physician,
registered dietitian, or nutritionist first. These professionals can help
tailor a diet to a person's specific health needs.
The place to look for whether a food is relatively high or low in a
nutrient is in the %Daily Value column on the Nutrition Facts panel,
usually on the side or back of the food package. For people concerned
about high blood cholesterol and heart disease, the %Daily Value for fat
(especially saturated fat), cholesterol, and fibre are important.
If, for individual foods, the %Daily Value is 5 or less, the food is
generally considered low in that nutrient. The more foods chosen that have
a %Daily Value of 5 or less for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and
sodium, the easier it is to eat a healthier daily diet. Foods with 10
percent or more of the Daily Value for fibre are considered good sources
of that dietary component.
The overall goal should be to select foods that together do not exceed
100% of the Daily Value for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium,
but that will meet or exceed 100% for other nutrients (like calcium,
vitamin A and vitamin C).
The serving size information on the Nutrition Facts panel also is
important. It tells the amount of food, stated in both common household
and metric measures, to which all other numbers apply.
Unlike before, serving sizes now are more uniform among similar products
and reflect the amounts people actually eat. For example, the reference
amount for a serving of snack crackers is 30g. So, the serving size for
soda crackers is 10, while the serving size for Goldfish crackers is 55,
because those amounts are the ones that come closest to weighing 30g.
The uniform serving size makes it easy to compare the nutritional
qualities of related foods.
On some food packages, short label statements describing the food's
nutritional benefits may appear. Often, they will be on the front label,
where shoppers can readily see them.
These statements, like "low in saturated fat" and "no
cholesterol", are called nutrient content claims. They are used to
highlight foods with desirable levels of nutrients.
Other statements are health claims, FDA approved nine of them, two of
which relate to heart disease. These two can state that:
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of
coronary heart disease.
A diet high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fibre,
particularly soluble fibre, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
These health claims also must state that the risk of coronary heart
disease depends on many factors.
Both types of claims signal that the food contains desirable levels of the
stated nutrients.
Q: How can people with diabetes use the food label to help with
their diets?
A: How beneficial the new label will be for people with diabetes depends
on the type of meal plan they follow. Today, diabetes experts no longer
recommend a single diet for all people with diabetes. Instead, they
advocate dietary regimes that are flexible and take into account a
person's lifestyle and particular health needs.
The American Diabetes Association recommends these general dietary
guidelines for people with diabetes:
Limit fat to 30 percent or less of daily calories.
Limit saturated fat to 10 percent or less of daily calories.
Limit protein to 10 to 20 percent of daily calories. For those with signs
of diabetes - induced kidney disease, restrict protein to 10 percent of
daily calories.
Limit cholesterol to 300 milligrams or less daily.
Consume about 20 to 35 grams of fibre daily.
Most of these guidelines are a good idea for the general population, as
well.
Q: Considering these factors, how should people with diabetes go about
using the new food label?
A: They can begin with the Nutrition Facts panel, usually on the
side or back of the package. A column headed %Daily Values shows whether a
food is high or low in many of the nutrients listed.
People with diabetes should check the %Daily Values for fat, saturated
fat, and cholesterol. As a rule of thumb, if the number is or less, the
food may be considered low in that nutrient.
The goal for most people with diabetes is to pick foods that have low
%Daily Values for fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and high %Daily
Values for fibre. Other label nutrition information can help people with
diabetes see if and how a food fits into their meal plan.
The serving size information gives the amount of food to which all other
numbers on the Nutrition Facts panel apply.
Serving sizes now are more uniform among similar products and reflect the
amounts people actually eat. For example, the reference amount for a
serving of snack crackers is 30g. So, the serving size for soda crackers
is 10, while the serving size for Goldfish crackers is 55, because those
amounts are the ones that come closest to weighing 30g.
The similarity in serving sizes makes it easier to compare the nutritional
qualities of related foods.
People who use the Exchange Lists should be awre that the serving size on
the label may not be the same as that in the Exchange Lists. For example,
the label serving size for orange juice is 8 fluid ounces (240
milliliters). In the exchange lists, the serving size is 4 ounces
(one-half cup) or 120 ml. So, a person who drinks one cup of orange juice
has used two fruit exchanges.
The Nutrition Facts panel also give total calories and calories from fat
per serving of food. This is helpful for people who count calories and
monitor their daily percentage of calories from fat.
The label also gives grams of total carbohydrate, protein and fat.
The values listed for total carbohydrate include all carbohydrate,
including dietary fibre and sugars listed below it. Not singled out is
complex carbohydrates, such as starches.
The sugars include naturally present sugars, such as lactose in milk and
fructose in fruits, and those added to the food, such as table sugar, corn
syrup and dextrose.
The listing of grams of protein also is helpful for those restricting
their protein intake, either to reduce their risk of kidney disease or to
manage the kidney disease they have developed.
Elsewhere on the label, consumers may find claims about the food's
nutritional benefits. Often, these nutrient counter claims appear on the
front of the package, where shoppers can readily see them. These claims
signal that the food contains desirable levels of certain nutrients.
Some claims, such as "low fat", "no saturated fat",
and "high fibre" describe nutrient levels. See "A Little 'Lite'
Reading", in the June 1993 FDA Consumer). Some of these are
particularly interesting to people with diabetes because they highlight
foods containing nutrients at beneficial levels.
Other claims, called health claims, show a relationship between a nutrient
or food and a disease or health condition. FDA has authorised nine such
claims; they are the only ones about which there is significant scientific
agreement. There are also other health claims under consideration at this
time.
Two that relate to heart disease are of particular interest to people with
diabetes:
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of
coronary heart disease.
A diet high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fibre,
particularly soluble fibre, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Both claims also must state that heart disease depends on many factors.
Nutrient content and health claims can be used only under certain
circumstances, such as when the food contains appropriate levels of the
stated nutrient. So now, when consumers see claim, they can believe them.
Q: How can the food label help people on special diets?
A: For many people on special diets, the amount of the nutrient in grams
or milligrams is most important because their diets are based on a set
amount of one or more nutrients a day specific to their needs - for
example, 60 grams (g) of protein, 2,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day.
Special dieters can find the amount by weight of nutrients listed in the
top part of the Nutrition Facts Panel.
Some important points about the Nutrition Facts panel: The values listed
for total carbohydrate include all carbohydrates, including dietary fibre
and sugar listed below it.
The sugars include naturally present sugars, such as lactose in milk and
fructose in fruits, as well as those added to the food, such as table
sugar, corn syrup, and dextrose. The label can claim "no sugar
added" but still have naturally occurring sugar. An example is fruit
juice.
Also, potassium may be listed voluntarily with the nutrients listed on the
top part of the panel, just below sodium. Its %Daily Value is based on a
recommended intake of 3,500m mg a day.
Other vitamins and minerals may be listed on the Nutrition Facts panel,
along with vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.
Amounts of vitamins and minerals are only presented as percentages of the
Daily Value.
Calorie information appears at the top of the Nutrition Facts panel,
following serving size information. This information is important for
those needing to increase or decrease their calories.
The serving size information gives the amount of food to which all the
other numbers on the Nutrition Facts panel apply.
Now serving sizes are more uniform among similar products and are designed
to reflect the amounts people actually eat. Also, serving sizes must be
about the same for the same types of products - for example, different
brands of frozen yoghurt and for similar products within a food category,
for example, ice cream, ice milk, and sherbet within the category frozen
dairy-type desserts.
Having more uniform serving sizes makes it easier to compare the
nutritional values of related foods.
People who follow special diets should be awaare that the serving size on
the label may not be the same as that recommended for their specific
needs. For example, the label serving size for cooked fish is 3 ounces
(84g). A person following a 60 gram protein diet may be allowed only 1
ounce (28g) of fish at a meal. So, in this case, the nutrient values would
have to be divided by 3 to determine the nutritional content of the 1
ounce portion eaten.
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