1. Serving size and servings per container
The first lines tell you how many servings the package holds and how big one serving is, in a household measure and in grams. Every number below refers to one serving. The FDA is explicit that the serving size is not a recommendation of how much to eat; it reflects what people typically consume. Its sample label is a frozen lasagna: one cup per serving, 4 servings in the package. Eat two cups and every figure doubles; eat the package and every figure is multiplied by 4.
2. Calories
The large number is the energy in one serving. The lasagna has 280 calories per serving, so the whole package is 1,120. The FDA uses 2,000 calories a day as a general guide for nutrition advice; your own need depends on size, age and activity, which the calorie calculator estimates. Outside the US labels state kilojoules as well; the energy converter turns one into the other.
3. The nutrients
The middle of the label lists amounts per serving. The FDA sorts them into two groups:
- Get less of: saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. Their Daily Values are limits to stay under.
- Get more of: dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. Their Daily Values are amounts to reach.
Added sugars appear indented under total sugars and count only the sugars put in during processing; total sugars include those naturally present in milk and fruit. Protein is listed with the protein intake calculator's unit, grams, and the macro calculator shows how the fat, carbohydrate and protein grams on a label fit a daily split.
4. Percent Daily Value and the 5/20 rule
The right-hand column is the part of the label that does the thinking for you. The Daily Value is the recommended amount of a nutrient to consume, or not to exceed, each day, and %DV shows how much of it one serving provides. The FDA's reading rule:
5% DV or less per serving is low. 20% DV or more per serving is high.
The sample lasagna carries 850 mg of sodium per serving, 37% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, which is high; two servings reach 74%, most of a day's sodium from one meal. The same rule turned around makes a food with 20% DV of fiber or calcium a good source of it.
| Nutrient | Daily Value | Low (5%) | High (20%) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total fat | 78 g | 3.9 g | 15.6 g | limit |
| Saturated fat | 20 g | 1 g | 4 g | limit |
| Cholesterol | 300 mg | 15 mg | 60 mg | limit |
| Sodium | 2,300 mg | 115 mg | 460 mg | limit |
| Total carbohydrate | 275 g | 13.8 g | 55 g | target |
| Dietary fiber | 28 g | 1.4 g | 5.6 g | at least |
| Added sugars | 50 g | 2.5 g | 10 g | limit |
| Protein | 50 g | 2.5 g | 10 g | target |
| Vitamin D | 20 mcg | 1 mcg | 4 mcg | at least |
| Calcium | 1,300 mg | 65 mg | 260 mg | at least |
| Iron | 18 mg | 0.9 mg | 3.6 mg | at least |
| Potassium | 4,700 mg | 235 mg | 940 mg | at least |
The low and high columns are the Daily Value times 0.05 and 0.2, so you can judge a product even when the %DV column is missing or hard to read.
5. The lines without a %DV
Three lines carry an amount but no percentage, and the FDA gives a reason for each. Trans fat has no %DV because no reference value could be set for it. Total sugars has none because there is no daily recommendation for total sugar intake, so there is nothing to divide by; added sugars, which do have a 50 g Daily Value, carry the percentage instead. Protein shows a %DV only when the product makes a protein claim or is meant for children under four, because for everyone over four protein intake is not regarded as a public health concern in the US.
6. The footnote
The line at the bottom explains the column above it: the %DV tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet, and 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. It is the same on every label and is the key to the whole right-hand column.
Comparing two products
- Check that the serving sizes match, or convert both to the same amount; a label with a smaller serving looks healthier on every line.
- Compare %DV for the three nutrients to limit: saturated fat, sodium, added sugars. Lower wins.
- Compare %DV for fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. Higher wins.
- Read added sugars, not total sugars, when the product contains milk or fruit.
- Multiply by the servings you will actually eat before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
What does %DV mean on a food label?
Percent Daily Value: how much of a day's recommended amount of a nutrient one serving provides, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. The FDA gives a quick rule for reading it: 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is low, and 20% DV or more is high. The same rule works in both directions, low is good for sodium and added sugars, high is good for fiber and calcium.
Is the serving size how much I should eat?
No. The FDA states that the serving size is not a recommendation; it reflects the amount people typically eat or drink, and every number on the label refers to that amount. If you eat two servings, double everything, including the calories and the %DV.
Which nutrients should I eat less of?
The FDA names three to get less of: saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. Their Daily Values are limits: 20 g of saturated fat, 2,300 mg of sodium and 50 g of added sugars a day on a 2,000-calorie diet. It names five to get more of: dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.
Why do trans fat, total sugars and protein have no %DV?
The FDA explains each case. No reference value could be set for trans fat; no daily recommendation exists for total sugars, so there is no Daily Value to compare against; and a %DV for protein is only required when the label makes a protein claim or the product is for children under four, because protein intake is not considered a public health concern for people over four in the US.
What is the difference between total sugars and added sugars?
Total sugars include the sugars naturally in milk and fruit as well as any added during processing; added sugars are only the second kind. Added sugars have a Daily Value of 50 g and a %DV, total sugars do not.
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration: How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts label (serving size is not a recommendation; 2,000 calories a day as a general guide; nutrients to get less of and more of; the 5% and 20% DV rule; the sample label; nutrients without a %DV)
- US Food and Drug Administration: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels (the current Daily Values for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium)