What's in the nutrition facts label and how to read it?

October 22, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a revised Nutrition Facts label has appeared on food products since 2016 to reflect new scientific information. Knowing what's in the nutrition facts label is an essential skill for making informed decisions about your diet and overall health.

Quick Summary

This guide breaks down the essential components of a nutrition facts label, explaining how to interpret serving sizes, calorie counts, macronutrients, and the percent Daily Value. It provides practical tips for understanding the ingredients list and making smarter choices at the grocery store.

Key Points

Serving Size: Always check the serving size first, as all other values on the label are based on this amount, not the entire package.
Calories: The calorie count helps determine the energy a food provides, but consider the source of these calories, not just the number.
Daily Value Percentage: The %DV column helps you quickly assess if a food is high (20% or more) or low (5% or less) in a particular nutrient.
Nutrient Types: Pay attention to the types of fats (especially limiting saturated and trans fats) and sugars (minimizing added sugars).
Ingredient List: The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few items are the most abundant.
Beneficial Nutrients: Aim for higher %DVs of nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamin D, and calcium, which are often under-consumed.

Demystifying the Nutrition Facts Label

The Starting Point: Serving Information

Before diving into the numbers, the first thing to locate on any Nutrition Facts label is the serving information at the top. This section lists the "serving size" and "servings per container". All subsequent nutritional data is based on this serving size. It's crucial to compare this standardized serving to your actual portion. For example, if a container has two servings and you eat the entire package, you are consuming double the calories, fat, and all other nutrients listed. This awareness is a powerful tool for controlling portion sizes and managing calorie intake.

Calories: Understanding the Energy Count

Calories are the unit of energy your body gets from food. They are prominently displayed in large, bold font on the label to emphasize their importance in weight management. While calories are not the only metric for healthy eating, they are a fundamental starting point. For those looking to manage or lose weight, comparing the calorie count of similar products is a simple way to find the healthier option. However, it is equally important to understand where those calories come from.

The Macronutrients: Fat, Carbohydrates, and Protein

Beneath the calorie count, the label details the amounts of major macronutrients. These are the building blocks of your diet and include fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

Fat: This section lists total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. It is important to remember that not all fats are bad, but limiting saturated and trans fats is recommended for heart health.
Cholesterol: This indicates the amount of cholesterol per serving.
Sodium: Excessive sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. The label shows how much sodium is in one serving, making it easier to track your daily intake.
Carbohydrates: This includes total carbohydrates, which are broken down further into dietary fiber, total sugars, and added sugars. Fiber is essential for digestive health and can help control blood glucose levels, so a higher percentage is generally better.
Sugars: The label now differentiates between "Total Sugars," which include natural and added sugars, and "Added Sugars," which are those specifically added during processing. Reducing added sugar intake is a key dietary recommendation.
Protein: The label lists the amount of protein, an essential nutrient for building and repairing tissues.

The Percent Daily Value (%DV): A Quick Reference Guide

The % Daily Value column on the right of the label provides a quick reference for how a single serving contributes to a 2,000-calorie daily diet. The golden rule for interpreting this is: a %DV of 5% or less is low in that nutrient, while 20% or more is high. For nutrients to limit, such as saturated fat and sodium, aim for a low %DV. For beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamin D, calcium, and iron, aim for a high %DV. Note that the 2,000-calorie baseline is a general guideline; your specific needs may vary based on age, sex, weight, and activity level.

The Ingredients List: What's Really Inside

Positioned below the Nutrition Facts table, the ingredients list is a critical resource for understanding a food's composition. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the ingredient that is most abundant is listed first. This is particularly useful for identifying added sugars, allergens, or heavily processed ingredients. A shorter, more recognizable ingredient list often indicates a less processed product.

Comparison Table: Label Literacy in Action

To illustrate how to use the label, let's compare two hypothetical cereal options. This demonstrates how focusing on specific nutrients can influence your purchasing decision.


Nutrient (per serving)	Cereal A (Whole Grain)	Cereal B (Sugary)
Serving Size	1 cup	1 cup
Calories	190	250
Total Fat	3g	5g
Saturated Fat	0.5g	2g
Sodium	180mg	280mg
Dietary Fiber	7g	2g
Total Sugars	8g	20g
Added Sugars	1g	18g
Protein	5g	3g

In this comparison, Cereal A is the better choice for several reasons. It has fewer calories, less fat, significantly less added sugar, and more dietary fiber. This practical application of reading the label helps consumers make direct comparisons based on their health goals.

Conclusion: Empower Your Grocery Shopping

Mastering what's in the nutrition facts label transforms you from a passive consumer into an informed decision-maker. By paying attention to serving sizes, scrutinizing calories and macronutrients, and leveraging the percent Daily Value, you gain control over your dietary habits. The ingredients list provides an additional layer of insight, revealing the true nature of a product. Taking a few extra moments to read and understand these labels can have a profound impact on your health, making it an invaluable skill for anyone committed to a healthier lifestyle.

A Note on Authoritative Information

For the most up-to-date information on food labeling regulations and nutritional guidance, it is always best to consult official government health resources. For U.S. consumers, the FDA website is a primary resource for this information, as detailed here: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's page on the Nutrition Facts Label.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most important thing to look at first is the serving size, which is located at the top of the label. This value determines the portion upon which all other nutritional information is based.

You can use the % Daily Value (%DV) to determine this. A food is considered a low source of a nutrient if it has 5% DV or less per serving, while a high source contains 20% DV or more.

Total Sugars includes both naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit and milk) and added sugars. Added Sugars are specifically those sugars and syrups that are added during food processing.

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first ingredient on the list is the one present in the highest quantity in the product.

Not necessarily. The FDA allows labels to list '0 g' of trans fat if the amount is less than 0.5 grams per serving. If the ingredient list includes 'partially hydrogenated oil,' the product contains some trans fat, though in small amounts per serving.

Use the calorie count to compare similar food items and make choices that align with your overall daily calorie needs. Remember to consider the nutrients providing those calories for a more complete picture of the food's nutritional value.

No, the 2,000-calorie diet is a general reference point. Individual calorie needs vary based on age, gender, weight, and activity level. Use the %DV as a guide to assess relative nutrient levels, not as a personalized recommendation.