Deconstructing Food Labels – Part 1: Required Information
Deconstructing Food Labels – Part 1: Required Information
Introduction to the Series
Food labels can be overwhelming. Between the Nutrition Facts panel, long ingredient lists, and claims splashed across the front of packages, it is easy to get lost in the details. Some of that information is required by law, while other parts are optional and often designed to grab your attention. To make this easier to understand, I am breaking it into a four-part series.
Part 1: Required Information (today’s focus)
Part 2: Optional and Regulated Information
Part 3: Tricky Front-of-the-Package Claims
Part 4: Non-GMO Terms
Let’s start with the basics: what must appear on every packaged food label.
What Is Required by Law on Food Labels
Food labels in the United States follow strict federal regulations. Certain items are mandatory on all packaged foods so that consumers know what they are buying.
Here’s what is required:
The name of the product/food
Example: Prego Italian Sauce Traditional.
The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor
Example: Campbell Soup Company, Camden, NJ, USA.
The net contents in weight, measure, or count
Example: Net Wt. 24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) (680 g).
The Nutrition Facts panel
This familiar black-and-white box lists serving size, calories, and nutrient information. I’ll cover this in more detail later in this series.
The ingredients list
Ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight and in plain language.
Required allergen declarations
The “Big 9” allergens must be disclosed when present or if cross-contact is possible.
Manufacturer, Packer, or Distributor
The address on the package tells you who is responsible for the food, but that doesn’t always mean it was produced there. Coffee is a good example. While it may be roasted and packed in the United States, it is grown in other countries. Similarly, fruit imported from Chile may show the address of a U.S. distributor. This address is about responsibility for the product, not necessarily the origin of the food.
Ingredients List
The ingredients list can be very short or very long, depending on the food.
Dry rice: “rice.”
Fritos Corn Chips: corn, corn oil, and salt.
Beyond Burger: more than 20 ingredients.
The number of ingredients is not automatically a reflection of whether a food is “healthy.” In the United States, every ingredient, including vitamins, minerals, thickeners, binders, preservatives, flavors, or colorings, must be listed. [I covered this in Food in the U.S. vs EU: What’s Allowed and Why It Matters.] These are not always bad. Preservatives can include lemon juice or salt, and natural colors can come from beet juice. What matters is transparency, not the length of the list.
Common Allergens
For food safety, manufacturers must declare the presence of the nine most common allergens:
Milk
Eggs
Wheat (note: this is not the same as gluten)
Fish
Shellfish
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Soy
Sesame (added in 2023 under the FASTER Act)
It is important to understand that these are distinct categories. A fish allergy is not the same as a shellfish allergy. Peanuts are legumes, not tree nuts, so they are listed separately.
Allergens must also be declared if there is a risk of cross-contact. For example, even if a product doesn’t contain peanuts, the label may read “processed in a facility that also processes peanuts.” If none of these allergens are present or at risk, the label will not include an allergen statement.
Why This Matters
Food labeling requirements exist for consumer protection and clarity. They provide essential details to help people make informed choices about what they buy and eat. Whether it’s understanding where your food is distributed, what ingredients it contains, or if it may expose you to allergens, this required information is there for a reason.
Next week, I’ll cover optional but regulated information — the claims and details you might see on a food label that are not required but still controlled by labeling laws.
Real World Nutrition Refreshed: I am revitalizing and updating my blog archive and re-publishing it. Stay tuned as I review, update, refresh, and re-share these posts to provide you with even more valuable information on nutrition, health, and overall wellness—and keep things timely. A portion of this blog was initially posted on January 11, 2022, and has been updated here.
