Health and Nutrition: The New Nutrition Facts Panel

- [Presenter] In this video we are going to learn about the new nutrition facts panel.

First, we are going to discuss why the facts panel is changing.

Then we will look at what is changing and how to use the new nutrition facts panel.

The nutrition facts panel is changing for a few reasons.

The old facts panel is over 20 years old and in the past 20 years there has been new research discovered which can now be used to help consumers make better choices.

There are six main changes being made to the nutrition facts panel.

Let's start by going through them.

The six changes are related to the serving size, the calories, the fats, the added sugars, nutrients, and the footnote.

The serving size is now shown in a bolded, bigger font.

This is to help draw attention to the serving size as all of the information on the label is based off of one serving.

In addition, some serving sizes will be adjusted to represent the amount that is typically eaten.

Just like the serving size, the calories are also now listed in a bolded, bigger font to help bring more attention to the amount of calories in a product.

The third change is that the calories from fat number has been removed.

This is because research has shown that the type of fat consumed is much more important than the total amount of fat consumed.

For example, eating heart-healthy, unsaturated fats is better than eating a large amount of saturated fats.

The new label also now includes the amount of added sugar in a product.

Added sugar is sugar that is added through processing or packaging.

This does not include sugars that are naturally occurring in things like dairy products and fruit.

Beside the grams of added sugar is also the percent daily value, which is based off a 2,000 calorie diet.

The nutrient panel now lists vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium because these nutrients were found to be deficient more often than nutrients previously on the label.

The last change is the addition of the footnote explaining daily value.

The footnote states the percent daily value tells you how much of a nutrient a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.

2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Now that we reviewed the food label changes let's talk about how to use it.

The best place to start is the serving size.

Looking here first can ensure that you don't accidentally overeat.

Next, look at the calories.

After this you can start looking at other nutrients of interest.

Remember, it is good to limit nutrients like sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar.

On the other hand, it is good to eat foods containing fiber, the vitamins and minerals on the nutrient panel, protein, and unsaturated fats.

And lastly, use the label to compare products.

This is good to do while grocery shopping as sometimes products that appear similar can have very different nutrient compositions.