Nutrition Labeling Issues and Directions for the 1990s (1990) / Chapter Skim
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6. Nutrition Label Content
6. Nutrition Label Content
Pages 158-202
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From page 158... ...
For nutrients and other food components currently included or proposed for inclusion on the nutrition information panel, this chapter describes their health relevance, dietary recommendations, current provision of labeling information, and the Committee's recommendations for nutrition labeling. Comprehensive information on dietary sources of nutrients and dietary intake patterns are provided in Chapter 4.
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From page 159... ...
The number of calories in a food is the one component of the food label that consumers seem to understand. Current Provision of Desired Information Information about calories often is found in two places on the food label: the nutrition information panel and He principal display panel.
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From page 160... ...
Committee Recommendations The Committee recommends that: FDA and USDA should continue to require the disclosure of calories expressed as ldlocalories per serving on the nutrition information panel. If the manufacturer chooses to express nutrients as a percentage of total calories, 2,000 calories should be used and stated as the reference point for the average adult who engages in light physical activity.
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From page 161... ...
Because no human populations that consume large proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (more than about 10 percent of total daily calories) have been adequately studied, and because some observations in experimental animals have suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids might contribute to cancer, recommendations regarding fat intake usually include a limit on polyunsaturated fatty acid intake to about 10 percent of total calories.
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From page 162... ...
International comparisons, studies of migrant populations, and observations of vegetarians showed that saturated fatty acid and cholesterol intakes were associated with CHD rates, but these correlations were often confounded by other differences in life-style. Many controlled experiments in humans and animals have demonstrated that saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in the diet elevate serum cholesterol concentrations, and when saturated fatty acids were replaced with monounsat
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From page 163... ...
the effects of changes in fatty acid intake on the plasma cholesterol concentration. Monounsaturated fatty acids, represented mainly by oleic acid, had little or no effect on plasma cholesterol concentrations compared with the effects of equivalent calories such as those from carbohydrate and, therefore, were omitted from these predictive equations.
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From page 164... ...
Evidence Regarding Omega-3 Farm Acids In early research on the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on lipoprotein metabolism, investigators noticed that some of the highly unsaturated oils from marine sources were as effective as vegetable oils in lowering serum cholesterol levels. Years later, it was reported that Eskimos who consumed large quantities of fish had low rates of atherosclerotic heart disease.
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From page 165... ...
However, there were also strong correlations of saturated fatty acid intakes with CHD, and multivariate analyses of the data usually resulted in nonsignificant correlations of dietary cholesterol intake with CHD rates. Cross-sectional dietary studies, designed to test individuals within a population for the association between dietary intakes and plasma cholesterol levels, usually found no association between dietary intakes of cholesterol and plasma cholesterol or lipoprotein concentrations.
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From page 166... ...
These results suggest the possibility that dietary cholesterol might influence atherosclerosis or its clinical manifestations by some mechanism other than elevation of LDL cholesterol levels. Cancer There is less evidence linking total dietary fat and saturated fatty acids to cancer than to heart disease, but the accumulated epidemiological evidence does suggest that dietary fat intake is associated win the risk of colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers and, possibly, with breast cancer (NRC, 1982, 1989a)
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From page 167... ...
. Current Provision of Desired Information There are three locations on food labels that may provide useful information about fat and cholesterol, including the ingredient listing, He nutrition inforrnation panel, or descriptors of specific levels or Apes of fats and cholesterol on the principal display panel.
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From page 168... ...
~6~. Only if a claim about the fatty acid content is made must the content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids be declared on the nutrition information panel, using the terms saturated fat and unsaturated fat.
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From page 169... ...
Current dietary recommendations state that the percentage of calories from fat in the total diet should be 30 percent or less, with 10 percent or less each from saturated fatty acids and 10 percent or less each from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Consumers must be encouraged to apply these guidelines in forming their dietary patterns over a total meal or in assessing a day's food rather than using them as standards for accepting or rejecting single products.
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From page 170... ...
However, products bearing this label could be high in saturated fatty acids. For individuals who are attempting to lower their blood cholesterol levels, the claim could be confusing and is certainly not helpful on such products.
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From page 171... ...
FDA and USDA should allow, as an option, the disclosure of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid content per serving in '~rams on the nutrition information panel. · FDA and USDA should define descriptors for cholesterol content for use on the principal display panel.
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From page 172... ...
More recently, the health relevance issues involving consumption of simple and digestible complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber were extensively evaluated in both the Surgeon General's report (DHHS, 1988) and the NRC Diet and Health report (NRC, 1989a)
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From page 173... ...
They are readily available, generally inexpensive, and highly acceptable to the human palate. Although there is no specific linkage between complex carbohydrate consumption and lowered chronic disease incidence, diets that exclude or that have low levels of whole-grain products, tubers, legumes, and vegetables are associaŁed epidemiologically with a variety of chronic health problems, including obesity, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.
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From page 174... ...
Diets high in complex carbohydrates but low in sugars are generally recommended for people with diabetes mellitus. However, there is no scientific evidence that high-sugar diets cause or lead to non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
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From page 175... ...
and total simple carbohydrates or sugars (mono- and disaccharides) , although present regulations do not require or allow a listing of simple and/or complex carbohydrates on the nutrition information panel.
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From page 176... ...
per serving in grams on the nutrition information panel. The term total carbohydrate should be used when carbohydrate components are listed on the nutrition information panel, with these subgroups indented · FDA and USDA should allow, as an option, the listing of calories per serving from total carbohydrate, complex carbohydrate, and sugars on the nutrition information panel.
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From page 177... ...
One reason may be the difficulty in designing appropriate experiments to specifically test for the effect of dietary fiber. Foods high in dietary fiber are also generally low in calories and total and saturated fatty acids and devoid of cholesterol; thus, determination of a specific fiber effect in a feeding study is difficult.
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From page 178... ...
USDA does not currently have any official policy on declaring dietary fiber content on food labels. Committee Recommendations The Committee recommends that: · FDA and USDA should require the disclosure of fiber content per serving in grams on the nutrition information panel under the term total dietary dyer.
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From page 179... ...
Since animal protein and saturated fatty acid intakes are often highly correlated, it is difficult to establish a specific cause-and-effect relationship in population studies. However, some evidence in humans indicates that in cases where soy protein was substituted for animal protein, serum cholesterol was lowered.
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From page 180... ...
There is little or no evidence to indicate beneficial heals effects from high protein intakes, as stated in the 1989 RDA report (NRC, 1989b3. Current Provision of Desired Information Information on the protein content of packaged foods may be found in three areas on the food label, including the ingredient listing, the nutrition information panel, and the principal display panel.
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From page 181... ...
· FDA and USDA should define descriptors that apply to terms used for protein content on food labels. SODIUM Health Relevance of Sodium Recent dietary recommendations have advised Americans to reduce their intake of sodium.
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From page 182... ...
. Hypertension is a major risk factor for some of the most common causes of death in the United States: coronary artery disease, hypertensive heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and
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From page 183... ...
At present, the only way to determine whether an individual's blood pressure is related to salt intake is through a lengthy dietary trial during which salt intake is varied. It is hoped that, in the future, some simple test performed early in life could make that determination.
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From page 184... ...
Through the success of public information campaigns such as those by FDA, NHLBI, and the AHA, the majority of Americans now know that excess salt or sodium ingestion is associated win poor health. Current Provision of Desired Information Information on the sodium content of packaged foods may be found in the ingredient listing, the nutrition information panel, and the principal display panel.
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From page 185... ...
, on the nutrition information panel. Descriptors for sodium content on the principal display panel, as currently defined by FDA and USDA, should be continued.
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From page 186... ...
The general public is relatively unaware of the possible role of potassium in lowering blood pressure. Current Provision of Desired Information Under current FDA regulations and USDA policy governing nutrition labeling, the declaration of potassium is voluntary.
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From page 187... ...
Health Relevance of Nutrition Labeling Recommendations Calcium Recent dietary recommendations have advised Americans to increase their intake of calcium. The Surgeon General's report recommended that adolescent girls and adult women should increase their consumption of foods high in calcium, including low-fat dairy products (DHHS, 1988~.
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From page 188... ...
The report indicated that this was of special concern for low-income families. The recent nutrition monitoring report concluded that high monitoring priority should be accorded to iron because it is a current public health issue (LSRO, FASEB, 1989~.
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From page 189... ...
The recent trend of reduced meat intake may decrease iron intake in the population, because red meats are an important source of dietary iron. The Surgeon General's report indicated that the estimated mean intakes by women and children were 61 and 88 percent of the 1980 RDA, respectively, whereas estimated mean intakes by men were 159 percent of the RDA (DHHS, 1988~.
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From page 190... ...
Carotenoids that are not otherwise converted are generally deposited in adipose tissue or the adrenal glands. The absorption and utilization of carotenoids and vitamin A are enhanced by dietary fat, protein, and vitamin E
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From page 191... ...
Thiamin In Nutrition Monitoring in the United States DISCO, FASEB, 1989) , thiamin was not considered to be a current public health issue.
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From page 192... ...
Riboflavin In Nutrition Monitoring in the United States (LSRO, FASEB, 1989) , nboflavin was not considered to be a current public health issue.
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From page 193... ...
Vitamin B6 In Nutrition Monitoring in the United States (LSRO, FASEB, 1989) , vitamin B6 was considered to be a potential public health issue.
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From page 194... ...
Folate In Nutrition Monitoring in the Muted States (LSRO, FASEB, 1989) , folate was considered to be a potential public health issue.
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From page 195... ...
, zinc was considered to be a potential public health issue. No specific recommendation concerning zinc was given in either the Surgeon General's or NRC reports.
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From page 196... ...
Current Provision of Desired Information Current food labels provide information on the vitamin and mineral content in the ingredient listing, the nutrition information panel, and the principal display panel. The ingredient listing provides information about any individual vit~nins and minerals that have been added to foods during the manufacturing process (21 CF1( §101.41.
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From page 197... ...
However, currently there are no official definitions for such terms for specific micronutrients. Committee Recommendations On the basis of recent dietary recommendations, current public health issues, and the consumption patterns of Americans, the Committee considered the current requirements for and potential changes in He listing of micronutrients on the nutrition information panel and acknowledges that the current selection of micronutrients required to be listed is dated.
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From page 198... ...
Emphasizing iron richness may bring particular attention to foods for which the bioavailability of iron is said to be high, such as meats that contain the heme forms of iron, whereas recent reports (such as the Surgeon General's, Diet and Health, and the Dietary Guidelines) have urged moderation in the consumption of these foods (DHHS, 1988; NRC, 1989; USDA/DHHS, 1985~.
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From page 199... ...
1987. Monounsaturated fatty acids, plasma cholesterol and coronary heart disease.
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From page 200... ...
1979. The relationship of dietary cholesterol to serum cholesterol concentration and to atherosclerosis in man.
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From page 201... ...
1988. Dietary cholesterol and human coronary heart disease: The epidemiologic evidence.
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From page 202... ...
1964. Dietary fat and dietary sugar in relation to ischemic heart disease and diabetes.
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