Food Labels Listed Reading Health Happen Made Include

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the part of the U.S. government that protects Americans' health by "approving" (saying that something is okay) food and drugs. The FDA "requires" (says that something must happen) that all "prepared foods" (foods that are made from other foods) must have food labels that provide information about the nutritional content of the food. "Produce" (fruits and vegetables) do not need to have food labels.

Food labels must include a "statement of identity" that says what the food is and who made it. They also must include a "net quantity statement," which says how much the food weighs without the "packaging" (the box, bottle, or other container that the food is in).

Prepared foods must have labels that state the serving size and the number of servings per package. Often these serving sizes are much smaller than the amounts that Americans usually eat. Food labels also must have nutrient information, including the percent daily values of each nutrient. The food label must list all the "ingredients" (the foods used to make something) that are in the food. These ingredients are listed in "decreasing order," meaning that the ingredient used the most is listed first, and the ingredient used the least is listed last.

Many food labels also list the "potential" (possible) "allergens" (things that make certain people sick). For example, a food label might say, "Contains: milk, peanuts." This would be a "warning" (a statement that something bad or dangerous might happen) that people who are "allergic" to milk or peanuts should not eat that food.