What information does a food label contain?

January 10, 2026 •

4 min read

According to the FDA, packaged foods must include a nutrition facts label to help consumers make informed, healthy choices. This guide will break down exactly what information does a food label contain and how to interpret it for your dietary needs.

Quick Summary

Food labels provide crucial details including serving size, calories, macronutrients (fat, carbs, protein), micronutrients, and % Daily Value. They also feature an ingredients list, allergen warnings, and product dating, helping consumers understand and compare packaged foods for better health decisions.

Key Points

Nutrition Facts Panel: The centerpiece of the label, detailing serving size, calories, and nutrient breakdown per serving.
Ingredient List: Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, with the primary ingredient appearing first.
Percent Daily Value (%DV): Provides a quick gauge of a food's nutrient contribution to a daily diet, with 5% DV being low and 20% DV being high.
Allergen Warnings: Labels are legally required to declare major food allergens to protect consumers with sensitivities.
Date Markings: Includes 'use-by' for safety and 'best-before' for quality, guiding consumers on freshness and expiration.
Added Sugars: The new label explicitly lists 'Added Sugars' to help identify sources of empty calories.
Nutrient Changes: Newer labels emphasize Vitamins D and Potassium, which Americans often lack, while deemphasizing Vitamins A and C.

Decoding the Nutrition Facts Panel

The Nutrition Facts panel is the most prominent part of the food label, offering a detailed breakdown of a product's nutritional value. The information here is standardized to allow for easy comparison between similar products.

Serving Information

Serving Size: Located at the top, this is the standardized amount of food for which all other nutritional information is based. It's crucial to understand that if you consume two servings, you must double all the listed values.
Servings Per Container: This indicates the total number of servings in the entire package.

Calories

The calorie count shows the total energy provided by one serving of the food. This helps individuals manage their total energy intake, whether for weight maintenance, gain, or loss.

Nutrients and Percent Daily Value (%DV)

The nutrients section is divided into components to limit and components to get more of. The %DV helps put the numbers into context, indicating how much a nutrient in one serving contributes to a total daily diet, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A value of 5% DV or less is considered low, while 20% DV or more is high.

Nutrients to limit:

Total Fat (with saturated fat and trans fat listed separately)
Cholesterol
Sodium
Added Sugars (distinguished from total sugars)

Nutrients to get more of:

Dietary Fiber
Protein
Vitamin D
Calcium
Iron
Potassium

The Ingredients List

Beyond the Nutrition Facts panel, the ingredients list provides a comprehensive breakdown of what's in the product. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first ingredient is the most abundant. This is particularly useful for identifying added sugars, fats, and additives that may be disguised under different names. Allergens, such as milk, soy, and peanuts, are also clearly declared in this section.

Important Date Markings

Date markings provide guidance on a product's shelf life and safety.

Use-by date: A crucial safety indicator for highly perishable goods, such as fresh meats and dairy. Food should not be consumed after this date.
Best-before date: Refers to a product's quality, not safety. The food is at its peak quality before this date, but may still be safe to eat afterward.
Sell-by date: Indicates the last day a product should be on display for sale, mainly for inventory management rather than consumer safety.

Understanding Allergen Information

Food labels play a critical role for individuals with allergies. Major food allergens, as defined by regulatory bodies, must be clearly listed. The FDA in the U.S., for instance, mandates the declaration of eight major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. Some manufacturers also use 'may contain' statements for unintentional cross-contamination.

Comparison Table: Old vs. New Nutrition Facts Label

To highlight the evolution of food labeling, here is a comparison of the key changes between the old and new FDA-mandated labels, introduced in 2016.


Feature	Old Label	New Label
Serving Size	Based on amounts people should eat.	Based on amounts people typically eat.
Calories	Font size is standard.	Font size is larger and bolder.
Added Sugars	Not separately listed.	Required listing of 'Added Sugars' in grams and %DV.
Nutrients	Vitamins A and C were required; some B vitamins, calcium, and iron were included.	Vitamins D and Potassium are now required; Vitamins A and C are optional.
Daily Values Footnote	Small, dense text explaining Daily Value.	Simpler, clearer text explaining the %DV concept.
Fat	'Calories from Fat' was a prominent feature.	'Calories from Fat' has been removed, focusing on the type of fat.

Conclusion

A food label is a powerful tool for navigating food choices, providing a wealth of information about a product's nutritional content, ingredients, and safety. By understanding the components—the nutrition facts panel with serving sizes and calories, the list of ingredients ordered by weight, the meanings of date markings, and mandatory allergen disclosures—consumers can make more informed decisions to support their health and dietary needs. Familiarizing yourself with these details is a fundamental step toward better eating habits.

For more detailed information on specific regulations, refer to the FDA's official guidance on nutrition labeling.

How a food label can improve your nutrition

Understanding a food label can be a game-changer for your health. Instead of guessing, you can use the data to your advantage. For instance, comparing the 'per 100g' column of the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) between similar products, like two brands of cereal, helps you choose the one lower in sugar and saturated fat and higher in fiber. Additionally, for those monitoring sodium intake, the % Daily Value provides a quick indicator; a product with 20% DV or more for sodium is considered high. Reading the ingredients list helps you avoid specific allergens or unwanted additives, putting you in control of what you consume. This proactive approach transforms grocery shopping from a passive task into an active, health-oriented one.

Other helpful information on food labels

Beyond the core nutrition facts, a food label may include other valuable details. Manufacturers' contact information, country of origin, and storage instructions are all frequently provided. Storage instructions are particularly important for food safety, indicating conditions like 'keep refrigerated' or 'store in a cool, dry place'. The country of origin information can be important for consumers interested in supporting local products or specific sourcing practices. Furthermore, some labels may include voluntary nutritional claims, such as 'low fat' or 'high fiber', which must adhere to strict guidelines. Consumers should always cross-reference these claims with the Nutrition Facts panel to verify the accuracy and overall healthiness of the product.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should start by checking the serving size and servings per container, as all other nutritional information is based on this serving amount. Then, look at the calories per serving to understand the energy content.

For an accurate comparison, always use the 'per 100g' or 'per 100ml' column on the nutrition information panel, as this standardizes the measurement and removes variation due to different serving sizes set by manufacturers.

A 'use-by' date is a safety measure for highly perishable foods and means the product should not be consumed after this date. A 'best-before' date refers to the product's quality, and it may still be safe to eat after this date, though it might not be at its peak quality.

The ingredients list is important because it tells you exactly what is in the food, and lists ingredients in descending order by weight. This helps you identify allergens, additives, and the most prevalent components of the product.

The %DV is a guide that shows how a single serving of a food contributes to your total daily diet, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. You can use it to determine if a food is high (20% or more) or low (5% or less) in a particular nutrient.

No, 'total sugars' includes both sugars that are naturally present in the food (like in milk and fruit) and any sugars added during processing. 'Added sugars' are listed separately and represent only the sugars added by the manufacturer.

In the ingredients list, look for synonyms and alternative names. For sugar, watch for terms ending in '-ose' like dextrose or fructose, as well as ingredients like corn syrup or honey. For salt, look for 'sodium' and other salt-related terms like garlic salt or MSG.