Energy - Nutrition Labelling - USA |
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| | Updated 2015-08-15 |
| U. S. Federal Regulations on nutrition labelling |
| Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 |
Nutrition labelling is regulated in the U.S. through the
Public Law 101-535 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, and administered by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 21 CFR 101.9.
The nutrition labelling rules in U.S. differs from the Codex
Alimentarus guidelines and European regulations on several points.
The most visible is that the nutrient declarations in the
"Nutrition Facts" are listed per "serving" and not as amounts per
100 g. The term serving or serving size "means an amount of food
customarily consumed per eating occasion by persons 4 years of age
or older which is expressed in a common household measure that is
appropriate to the food." This means that the nutrient
declarations of different foods may be given on different basis,
dependent on the serving size.
In addition to the basis on which the nutrient declarations are
given, there are also some important differences in the way the
nutrients and energy calculations are defined:
| Protein |
calculated on the basis of the factor of 6.25 times the
nitrogen content of the food as determined by the
appropriate method of analysis as given in the ‘‘Official
Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International’’; |
| Carbohydrate, total or
Carbohydrate | calculated by subtraction of
the sum of the crude protein, total fat, moisture, and ash from the
total weight of
the food; |
| Sugars |
the sum of all free mono- and disaccharides (such as glucose,
fructose, lactose, and sucrose); |
| Sugar alcohols |
the sum of saccharide derivatives in which a hydroxyl group replaces
a ketone or aldehyde group and whose use in the
food is listed by FDA (e.g., mannitol or xylitol) or is generally
recognized as safe (e.g., sorbitol); |
| Other carbohydrate |
the difference between total carbohydrate and the sum of dietary
fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol, except that if sugar alcohol is
not declared; |
| Fat, total or Total fat |
defined as total lipid fatty acids and expressed as triglycerides; |
| Saturated fat or Saturated |
the sum of all fatty acids containing no double bonds; |
| Monounsaturated fat or
Monounsaturated | cis-monounsaturated fatty
acids; |
| Polyunsaturated fat or
Polyunsaturated |
cis,cis-methylene-interrupted polyunsaturated fatty acids; |
| Trans fat or Trans |
the sum of all unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more
isolated (i.e., nonconjugated) double bonds in a trans
configuration; |
| Monounsaturates |
cis-monounsaturated fatty acids; |
| Polyunsaturates |
cis,cis-methylene-interrupted polyunsaturated fatty acids; |
| Cholesterol | |
| Dietary fiber | |
| Soluble fiber | |
| Insoluble fiber | |
| Sodium | |
| Potassium | |
Especially the definitions of Carbohydrate, total, calculated by
difference and Fat, total calculated as the sum of triglycerides catch
the eye.
Although carbohydrate is often calculated by difference in the rest of
the world, it is only the U.S. regulations that clearly state this. The
NLEA definition of total fat defined as triacylglycerides (TAG) are in
line with the FAO recommendations for expressing the fat content of
foods (FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 77).
The NLEA provides several ways of calculating the "Caloric
content" (the energy content) in several ways
- Using specific Atwater factors (i.e., the Atwater method)
given in Table 13, ‘‘Energy Value of Foods—Basis and
Derivation,’’ by A. L. Merrill and B. K. Watt, United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Handbook No. 74 (slightly
revised, 1973)
- Using the general factors of 4, 4, and 9 calories per gram for
protein, total carbohydrate, and total fat, respectively, as
described in USDA Handbook No. 74 (slightly revised 1973) pp.
9–11.
- Using the general factors of 4, 4, and 9
calories per gram for protein, total carbohydrate less the
amount of insoluble dietary fiber, and total fat, respectively,
as described in USDA Handbook No. 74 (slightly revised 1973) pp.
9–11.
- Using data for specific food factors for particular foods or
ingredients approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
and provided in parts 172
or 184
of 21 CFR Ch. 1, or by other means, as appropriate.
- Using bomb calorimetry data subtracting 1.25 calories per gram protein
to correct for incomplete digestibility, as described in USDA
Handbook No. 74 (slightly revised 1973) p. 10.
Thus, there are several ways for calculating energy in foods,
which will give (maybe minor) differences between energy values
calculated with the different methods.
- Public Law 101-535 - Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.9 Nutrition
labelling of foods.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Nutritional Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) Requirements (8/94
- 2/95)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Guide to nutrition labeling and Education Act (NLEA)
Requirements - Attachment 6-8
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Labeling & Nutrition Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information
Guidance for Industry
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Food Labeling Guide (revised January 2013)
- Food energy - methods of analysis and conversion factors.
Report of a technical workshop, Rome, 3-6 December 2002.
FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 77
FAO, Rome, 2003.
- Merrill, A.L. and Watt, B.K.:
Energy Value of Foods … basis and derivation.
Agriculture Handbook No. 74, revised February 1973.
Human Nutrition Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service,
United States Department of Agriculture.
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