Lesson 3: Label Talk!

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Learner Outcomes

After completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

• identify and discuss key nutrient content claims on food labels
• explain health claims that appear on food labels
• use nutrient content claims and health claims—with Nutrition Facts—to make wise food choices.

Materials

• chalkboard, chalk
• packages of two or three similar foods—for example, regular cheese slices and reduced-fat and fat-free cheese slices, the last two with nutrient content claims; or regular, reduced-fat, and "light" mayonnaise
• array of food labels, separated into two groups: those with nutrient content claims and those with health claims. (Labels with health claims may be harder to find.)
• "Supermarket Hunt ... Check Out the Claims!" activity sheet (page 27), one copy per student

You've got all the ingredients for a peanut butter sandwich. The package of bread says "high in fiber." The peanut butter jar says "less sodium." On the jelly jar you see "no added sugar." What does all this mean?

You can judge a food by its label! Nutrient content claims and health claims, which often appear on the front of the food package or container, are strictly defined by law.

Label Facts
Nutrient Content Claims: Learn A New Language

"High in calcium," "low fat," "sugar free," "good source of iron"—these words and phrases describe the amount of a nutrient in a food, but don't tell exactly how much. They're called nutrient content claims.

Nutrient content claims differ from Nutrition Facts, which do list specific nutrient amounts. You need to read them both. Together, nutrient content claims and Nutrition Facts help you compare one food with another and choose foods for a healthful diet.

Consider a package of macaroni and cheese. The claim might say "rich in calcium." The Nutrition Facts panel shows that one serving supplies 20% of the Daily Value for calcium. Macaroni and cheese really is an excellent calcium source. Of course, when you use nutrient content claims in choosing foods, always check the other nutrients on the Nutrition Facts panel to see how the food fits into your overall diet.

Products must meet strict nutrition requirements before they can carry these claims. Daily Values help define nutrient content claims. For example, to say "high in fiber," a food must provide at least 20% of the Daily Value for fiber—that is, 5 grams of fiber per serving.

The government strictly defines terms like these: free, low, high, reduced, less, light, fewer, more, and good source. Some, such as "free," "low" and "reduced," signal that foods are low in calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, or other nutrients that most people need to moderate. Terms such as "good source of" and "high" often refer to foods that have a lot of fiber, calcium, iron, and other nutrients that you may need more of. The term "light" or "lite" has several meanings, depending on its use.

What exactly does all this label language mean Check the "Label Dictionary" on the next page.

Make the Connection: Health Claims on the Label

Health experts agree: What you eat can affect your health, not only now, but in the future, too. A healthful diet both promotes your health and may help lower risks for certain diseases down the road.

To help you learn how food choices may affect your health, some health claims may now appear on food labels. A health claim describes how a food or a food component—such as fat, calcium, iron, or fiber—relates to a disease or health-related condition.

Only health claims supported by scientific evidence are allowed on labels. So far, eight health claims have been approved. These are ones that link:

1. Calcium and osteoporosis. A calcium-rich diet is linked to a reduced risk of osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become soft or brittle.
2. Fat and cancer. A diet low in total fat is linked to a reduced risk of some cancers.
3. Saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease. A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
4. Fiber-containing grain products, fruits, vegetables, and cancer. A diet rich in high-fiber grain products, fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for some cancers.
5. Fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber and heart disease. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber can help reduce the risk for heart disease.
6. Sodium and high blood pressure. A low-sodium diet may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
7. Fruits and vegetables and some cancers. A low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables (foods that are low in fat and may contain dietary fiber, vitamin A, or vitamin C) is linked to a reduced risk of some cancers.
8. Folic acid and neural tube birth defects. Women who consume 0.4 mg folic acid daily reduce their risk of giving birth to a child affected with a neural tube defect.

The wording on health claims can differ. As an example, a claim on a package of macaroni and cheese links calcium and osteoporosis:

Regular exercise and a healthy diet with enough calcium helps teen and young adult white and Asian women maintain good bone health and may reduce their risk of osteoporosis later in life.

A package may carry a health claim only if the food inside meets some very specific nutrient requirements.

Label Dictionary

Just like the Nutrition Facts, nutrient content claims are defined for one serving. For example, that means that a high-fiber cereal has 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.

Nutrient Content Claim	Definition (per serving)
Calories
Calorie free	less than 5 calories
Low calorie	40 calories or less
Reduced or fewer calories	at least 25% fewer calories*
Light or lite	one-third fewer calories or 50% less fat*
Sugar
Sugar free	less than 0.5 gram sugars
Reduced sugar or less sugar	at least 25% less sugars*
No added sugar	no sugars added during processing or packing, including ingredients that contain sugars, such as juice or dry fruit
Fat
Fat free	less than 0.5 gram fat
Low fat	3 grams or less of fat
Reduced or less fat	at least 25% less fat*
Light	one-third fewer calories or 50% less fat*
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat free	less than 0.5 gram saturated fat
Low saturated fat	1 gram or less saturated fat and no more than 15% of calories from saturated fat
Reduced or less saturated fat	at least 25% less saturated fat
Cholesterol
Cholesterol free	less than 2 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
Low cholesterol	20 milligrams or less cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
Reduced or less cholesterol	at least 25% less cholesterols and 2 grams or less saturated fat
Sodium
Sodium free	less than 5 milligrams sodium
Very low sodium	35 milligrams or less sodium
Low sodium	140 milligrams or less sodium
Reduced or less sodium	at least 25% less sodium
Light in sodium	50% less*
Fiber
High Fiber	5 grams or more
Good source of fiber	2.5 to 4.9 grams
More or added fiber	at least 2.5 grams more*
Other Claims
High, rich in, excellent source of	20% or more of Daily Value*
Good source, contains, provides	10% to 19% of Daily Value*
More, enriched, fortified, added	10% or more of Daily Value*
Lean**	less than 10 grams fat, 4.5 grams or less saturated fat, and 95 milligrams cholesterol
Extra Lean**	less than 5 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, and 95 milligrams cholesterol
* as compared with a standard serving size of the traditional food ** on meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats

Learning Strategies

1. Introduce label claims with packages of two or three similar foods. Hold up the packages of cheese slices (traditional, fat-free, and reduced-fat). Ask: Which one would you buy? Why? What information on the label could help you decide? Which ones tasted the best?

   Point out: Nutrition Facts give specific amounts of calories, nutrients, cholesterol, and fiber. But nutrient content claims on the front of the label give you a quick idea, by describing the nutrition content of the food inside.

2. Identify nutrient content claims on labels. Have each student select one or more food packages with a nutrient content claim. Have them identify the claims on their labels—for example, "no added sugar," "high fiber," or "low fat." Write these words or phrases on the board.

   Explain: Nutrient content claims are strictly defined. One serving of the food must match specific nutrition criteria, set by the government, before the package can carry the claim.

   Ask: If you want a food with less fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugars, or sodium, which terms or phrases might you look for? On the board circle "free," "low," "less," "reduced," and "light."

   Ask: If you want a food with more iron, calcium or fiber, which terms or phrases might you look for? Put a star next to "good source of," "rich in," "fortified," and "high."

3. Explore nutrient content claims in small groups. Have students with labels that have "calorie claims" work in one group, "fiber claims" in another, and so on.

   Explain: Nutrition Facts give more specific information relating to the nutrient content claim. Have students use the Nutrition Facts panel to compare foods with the same claim—and a similar claim—then draw conclusions. For example, all "calorie-free" foods have less than 5 calories per serving; "low calorie" foods have 40 calories or less per serving. Or, the term "light" (or "lite") has several meanings. Refer to the Label Dictionary on page 24 to help with definitions, including those that don't appear on your array of labels.

   Discuss: How could a switch from a traditional food to a food described as "reduced" or "light" affect your meal? In general, what does the term "free" suggest? "Low"? "Reduced"? "Light"? "Lean"?

   Discuss: How might choosing foods described as "high," "rich in," or "good source of" improve your diet?

4. Identify health claims on labels. Distribute labels with health claims among students. Ask: What claims do you see on these food packages?

   As they read the claims, write these eight diet-health relationships on the board:

   1. calcium and osteoporosis
   2. fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables and cancer
   3. fruits and vegetables and cancer
   4. fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber and heart disease
   5. fat and cancer
   6. saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease
   7. sodium and high blood pressure
   8. folic acid and neural tube defects

   Briefly discuss these links and how the students' diets now as teenagers and the eating habits they develop for the future help protect them from these health concerns. If necessary, explain health conditions, such as osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure and neural tube defects.

   Point out: Teenagers, girls especially, typically consume too little calcium. Most teens don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. Diets high in fat can be a problem in the long-run, especially if cancer or heart disease runs in the family.

5. Repeat a typical health claim—for example, the model health claim on calcium and osteoporosis (see page 23).

   Explain: Health claims alert you to foods with a nutrient level that may promote your health. They describe the relationship between food or a nutrient and health. Only eight claims, all supported by sound science, are allowed.

   Ask: How do health claims differ from nutrient content claims? How could you use the Nutrition Facts to address health claims—and eat for your good health?

   Point out: A nutrient content claim or health claim doesn't mean that one food is better than another. Not all foods have claims. There are no "good" or "bad" foods. Claims are just another clue to help you fit foods you enjoy into a diet that's healthful for you!

6. Look for claims at the supermarket. Distribute the activity sheet "Supermarket Hunt ... Check Out the Claims!" Explain: Nutrient content claims and health claims are found on a variety of foods throughout the supermarket. Similar claims can be found on different types of foods, but they still have the same meaning.

   Have students make label reading a real-life experience. As a homework assignment, have students go on a scavenger hunt in their local supermarket, looking for nutrient content claims and health claims in every food department. Remind them that fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, and seafood may have nutrition information nearby, but not directly on the package.

   On the activity sheet, have students write each product's name, the claim, and the Nutrition Facts that support the claim. Health claims are harder to find; they'll find fewer of these.

To Learn More...

1. Label Infomercial. In small groups, have students create three-minute infomercials, describing how teenagers can use the food label—Nutrition Facts, nutrient content claims, and health claims—to make informed food choices.
2. Label Lingo. Have students create word puzzles—crossword puzzle, anagram, word search, others—to help them learn the language of labels. These puzzles should include nutrient content claims and health claims. Have students swap and solve one another's puzzles to test their label knowledge.