How to Read Labels: US or Canadian Nutrition Labels
It contains product-specific information (serving size, calories, and nutrient information). The bottom section contains a footnote that explains the % Daily Value and gives the number of calories used for general nutrition advice.
Types of US or Canadian Nutrition labels
There are multiple variations to US or Canadian Nutrition labels.
Here are 2 common variations that you will encounter:
Nutrition Fact #1:
This is the default food label.
How % Daily Values are calculated:
Nutrition Fact #2:
This variation is for products that are larger than a single serving but could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings. Manufacturers will have to indicate the amounts of calories and nutrients on both a “per serving” and “per package” or “per unit”.
Purpose of this variation is to allow people to easily identify how many calories and nutrients that they are getting if they eat or drink the entire package/ unit at one time. For this example (refer below), this container of pretzels with 3 servings per container. Its label (refer below) will show you the amount of calories and other nutrients in one serving and in one container which is 3 servings.
No matter which variation you get, use % DV to compare food products.
5% DV or less = low
20% DV or more = high
Try to choose foods that are:
Higher in %DV for Dietary Fibre, Vit D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium
Lower in %DV for Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Added Sugars
Apart from the design of the Nutrition Label, another difference between the EU Food label is that they included "Added Sugars" in the food label.
What are the differences between Added Sugars and Total Sugars?
Added Sugars include sugars that are added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.
Total Sugars includes sugars naturally present in many nutritious foods and beverages, such as sugar in milk and fruit as well as any added sugars that may be present in the product. No Daily Reference Value has been established for total sugars because no recommendation has been made for the total amount to eat in a day.
Diets high in calories from added sugars can make it difficult to meet daily recommended levels of important nutrients while staying within calorie limits.
Note: "includes Added Sugars" on the label indicates that Added Sugars are included in the number of grams of Total Sugars in the product.