Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

50 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
Figure 1.12. The 5 required types of information on a food label.
The statement of identity and net contents of the package tell you what type of food you’re
purchasing and how much is in the package. The name and address of the manufacturer
are important if there’s a food recall due to an outbreak of foodborne illness or other
contamination issue. Given the size of our food system and the fact that one manufacturer
may make products packaged under multiple brand names, being able to trace a food’s
origin is critical.
The last two types of required information—the ingredients list and the nutrition
information—are a bit more complex and provide valuable information to consumers, so
let’s look more closely at each of these parts of a food label.