1 of 10

Nutrition �Facts Label

April 2025

CDPHE accessibility statement

2 of 10

What is on the label�

3 of 10

Serving Size

Servings per container and serving size

The serving size is not a recommendation of how much to eat or drink
One package of food may contain more than one serving
Some containers may also have a label with two columns – one column listing the amount of calories and nutrients in one serving and the other column listing this information for the entire package.

4 of 10

Calories

Calories refers to the total number of calories, or “energy” you get from all sources (carbohydrate, fat, protein, and alcohol) in a serving of a food or beverage.

5 of 10

Percent Daily Value (%DV)

How much of a nutrient in a serving contributes to a total daily diet

5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low
20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high

Some nutrients don’t have a %DV

Protein generally has no %DV listed on the label, so use the number of grams (g) as a guide.
Trans fat and total sugars have no %DV, so use the number of grams (g) to compare and choose foods.

The Daily Values are reference amounts (in grams, milligrams, or micrograms) of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day. %DV can help you make informed choices about what you eat and drink.

Compare Foods: %DV makes it easy for you to make comparisons. Just make sure the serving sizes of each product are the same. Look at the %DV of the different nutrients and more often choose foods that contain more of the nutrients you want to get more of and less of nutrients you may want to limit.

Manage Dietary Trade-Offs: You don’t have to give up a favorite food to have a healthy diet. Use %DV to make dietary trade-offs with other foods throughout the day. When a food you like is high in a nutrient you want to get less of—or low in a nutrient you want to get more of—you can balance it with foods that are low (or high) in that nutrient at other times of the day.

�Use %DV to determine if a serving of the food is high or low in an individual nutrient. As a general guide:

5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low.

20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high.

��

6 of 10

Total Sugar vs Added Sugar

Total sugar – naturally present and added

No Daily Value for total sugars because no recommendation has been made for the total amount to eat each day

Added sugar – added during the processing of food

Limit calories from added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day

5% DV or less is a low source of added sugar

10% DV or more is a high source of added sugar

Total Sugars include sugars naturally present in many nutritious foods and beverages, such as sugar in milk and fruits as well as any added sugars that may be present in the product.

Added sugars include sugars that are added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. They do not include naturally occurring sugars that are found in milk, fruits, and vegetables. The Daily Value for added sugars is 50 grams per day based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.

�For most Americans, the main sources of added sugars are sugar-sweetened beverages, baked goods, desserts, and sweets. Consuming too much added sugars can make it difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits. ��

7 of 10

Nutrients

Nutrients to get less of - associated with increased risk of developing some health conditions

Saturated fat
Sodium
Added Sugars

Nutrients to get more of: Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium

Lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Reduce calorie intake
Associated with decreased risk of developing some health conditions

The lists of nutrients that are required or permitted on the label were updated. Vitamin D and potassium are required on the label because Americans do not always get the recommended amounts. Vitamins A and C are no longer required since deficiencies of these vitamins are rare today. The actual amount (in milligrams or micrograms) in addition to the %DV must be listed for vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.

�Saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars are nutrients listed on the label that may be associated with adverse health effects and Americans generally consume too much of them. They are identified as nutrients to get less of. Eating too much saturated fat and sodium, for example, is associated with an increased risk of developing some health conditions like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Consuming too much added sugars can make it hard to meet important nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits.

�Dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium are nutrients on the label that Americans generally do not get the recommended amount of. They are identified as nutrients to get more of. Eating a diet high in dietary fiber can increase the frequency of bowel movements, lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and reduce calorie intake. Diets higher in vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, anemia, and high blood pressure.��

8 of 10

Folate

B vitamin that helps make healthy new cells

Naturally occurring and fortified

Amount needed depends on age

400 micrograms (mcg) of dietary folate equivalent (DFE)
600 mcg DFE is pregnant
500 mcg DFE if lactating

1 - Folate is shown as mcg DFE and as a %DV

2 - Important for people who become pregnant

5% DV or less of folate per serving is low in folate

20% DV or more of folate per serving is high in folate

Folate is naturally present in many foods, including vegetables (especially asparagus, brussels sprouts, and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and mustard greens), fruits and fruit juices (especially oranges and orange juice), beef liver, nuts (such as walnuts), and beans and peas (such as kidney beans and black-eyed peas).

Folic acid is a form of folate that can be added to foods during the manufacturing process. Foods that are fortified with folic acid include enriched breads, flours, pastas, rice, and cornmeal; fortified corn masa flour (used to make corn tortillas and tamales, for example); and certain fortified breakfast cereals. Folic acid is also found in certain dietary supplements.

Folate is important for lowering the risk of serious problems that occur during pregnancy that can affect the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).

��

9 of 10

Resources and References

FDA The Nutrition Facts Label: www.fda.gov/NutritionFactsLabel
FDA The New and Improved Nutrition Facts Label - Key Changes: https://www.fda.gov/media/135302/download#:~:text=What's%20in%20it%20for%20you?&text=In%202020%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Food,is%20required%20on%20the%20label �

10 of 10

Thank you

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention