Nutrition Labeling

Voluntary labeling of nutritional components on processed food was initiated in Canada in 1988. In the United States the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 required that processed foods have clearly visible labels with nutritional information and that health claims made by manufacturers be consistent with terms defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Labels are required to contain the following information: a statement of identity of the product, which must include an appropriate descriptive name; net contents of the package/can; name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; a list of all ingredients, which must be listed by their common names in descending order by weight; and nutritional information. Ingredients used in the greatest amount are listed first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. Some ingredients can be listed collectively as flavors, spices, artificial flavoring, or color additives.