Nutrition Facts labels have a complicated legacy – a historian explains the science and politics of translating food into information
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Nutrition Facts Labels: A Complicated Legacy
The Unassuming Icon of Consumer Transparency
The Nutrition Facts label, that black and white information box found on nearly every packaged food product in the U.S. since 1994, has recently become an icon for consumer transparency. From Apple’s "Privacy Nutrition Labels" that disclose how smartphone apps handle user data, to a "Garment Facts" label that standardizes ethical disclosures on clothing, policy advocates across industries invoke "Nutrition Facts" as a model for empowering consumers and enabling socially responsible markets. They argue that intuitive information fixes could solve a wide range of market-driven social ills.
The Legacy of the Nutrition Facts Label
I study food regulation and diet culture and became interested in the Nutrition Facts label while researching the history of FDA policies on food standards and labeling. In 1990, Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, mandating nutrition labels on all packaged foods to help address growing concerns about rising rates of chronic illnesses linked to unhealthy diets. The FDA introduced its "Nutrition Facts" panel in 1993 as a public health tool that empowered consumers to make healthier choices.
The Daily Value
The daily value, or DV, percentages on the label don’t all come from the same source. This is a reflection of differing public health targets for the label. Recommended values for micronutrients like vitamins are based on Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDAs, from the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. Vitamin RDAs were developed out of historical concerns with undernourishment and meeting minimum needs.
DVs for Macronutrients
Daily value percentages for macronutrients – carbs, fats and proteins – are based on U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines. DVs for macronutrients registered a new concern about overeating and a focus on "negative nutrition" encouraging maximum intake levels. DVs reflect two fundamentally different causes for concern. The numbers for micronutrients represent a floor: the basic minimum vitamin needs a child should meet to avoid malnutrition. The numbers for macronutrients, on the other hand, are a ceiling: a target maximum limit that adults should avoid surpassing if they want to prevent future health problems caused by eating too much high sodium or fatty food.
The Serving Size Conundrum
According to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, serving sizes should reflect "an amount customarily used". In practice, this involves routine negotiations between the FDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and food manufacturers. Each conducts research on consumer expectations and food consumption data, taking into consideration how a food is prepared and "typically eaten".
What’s in a Name?
The label was almost called "Nutrition Values" or "Nutrition Guide" to highlight that Daily Values were recommendations. Then FDA Deputy Commissioner Mike Taylor proposed "Nutrition Facts" to sound more legally neutral and scientifically objective. The new design – a staid, black Helvetica text against a white background, using indented subgroups and hairlines for readability – and the authoritative boldface title helped establish "Nutrition Facts" as an easily recognized government brand.
Legacy of the Nutrition Facts Label
Today, public-private collaborations have taken this translation of foods into simplified nutrient profiles further by making nutrition facts plug-and-play. The USDA FoodData Central provides a comprehensive database of nutrient profiles for individual ingredients that manufacturers use to calculate Nutrition Facts for new packaged foods. This database also powers many diet and nutrition apps. But critics argue these databases reinforce an overly reductionist view of food as simply the sum of its nutrients, ignoring how the different forms a food takes – such as its moisture, fibrous materials or porous structures – affect the way the body metabolizes nutrients.
Conclusion
The Nutrition Facts label has had a complex legacy, driving the food industry to reformulate products to achieve appealing nutrient profiles. While envisioned as an education tool, the Nutrition Facts label in practice has worked more like a market infrastructure, reshaping the food supply to meet shifting dietary trends and public health goals long before consumers find those foods at the supermarket.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of the Nutrition Facts label?
A: The purpose of the Nutrition Facts label is to provide consumers with information about the nutritional content of packaged foods.
Q: What does the daily value percentage on the label represent?
A: The daily value percentage on the label represents the percentage of the Daily Value that a serving of the food contributes.
Q: Who determines serving sizes?
A: Serving sizes are determined by negotiations between the FDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and food manufacturers, based on consumer expectations and food consumption data.
Q: What is the legacy of the Nutrition Facts label?
A: The legacy of the Nutrition Facts label is complex, driving the food industry to reformulate products to achieve appealing nutrient profiles, and reshaping the food supply to meet shifting dietary trends and public health goals.
