Q- What is the required format of the Nutrition label?

A - The nutrition label is to be titled "Nutrition Facts." The major nutrients must be printed in bold type on the left-hand column with the subcomponents indented and in lesser type face. The absolute quantitative amount of each nutrient in the food product is placed adjacent to the name of the nutrient. To the right of the list of nutrients is a column entitled "Percent Daily Value" which indicates the role of the food in the daily diet. The Daily Value amounts are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The "Percent Daily Value" is not given for sugars and is required for protein only when a protein claim is made (e.g., "high protein") or when the food is for children less than 4 years of age.

Footnotes are required at the bottom of the label on A lot of packages and are to assist the consumer in interpreting label information. The first sentence of the footnote tells the consumer that the Daily Values used in determining the "Percent Daily Value" are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The next sentence is to alert customers to the fact that daily values will vary depending on caloric needs which of course vary according to age, sex, activity levels, etc.

In response to comments United States of America Food and Drug Administration received requesting that the labels be more legible, the Agency included A lot of graphic requirements. These include the use of easy-to-read type styles, upper and lower case letters, larger type size, lines between nutrient listings, and spacing requirements (both between letters and between lines).

A simplified format is allowed when one-half of the required nutrients are present in insignificant amounts. When a simplified format is used, the label must include five "core" nutrients: calories, total fat, sodium, total carbohydrate, and protein, even when they are present at "0" levels. In addition, any of the other required nutrients that are present at over insignificant amounts must be declared, and, if the product is fortified or enriched, those added nutrients must be declared. The only footnote required on simplified labels is the statement "Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet."

Other formats (e.g., a horizontal "tabular" format and a linear format) may be used when the package shape or size do not allow sufficient space for the vertical nutrition label.

Food Labeling and Nutritional Information