Labeling - Helpful Information

This page lists resources and information that users have found helpful for nutrition labeling

RACC - Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion
This is a reference chart that is published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 101.12b). The reference amounts are used as the basis for determining serving sizes for specific products.

Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens
These questions and answers from the FDA site provide practical guidelines for using the new food allergen labeling laws.

Food name abbreviations in the ESHA database (60 char names)

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN FOOD ITEM NAMING
Full Name	Abbrev	Full Name	Abbrev	Full Name	Abbrev
added	add	flavors	flvrs	refrigerated	refrig
added water	add wtr	Food Chemical	FCC	regular	reg
all natural	all nat	Codex		rehydrated	rehyd
artificial	art	fortified	fort	roasted	rstd
aspartame	asp	from	f/	saccharin	sacc
assorted	asrtd	frozen	fzn	serving	svg
Australia	Austl	grilled	grld	shoulder	shldr
average	avg	high	hi	shredded	shred
baked	bkd	hydrogenated	hydrog	skim milk	skm mlk
baking	bkg	imitation	imit	skinless	w/o skin
barbecue	bbq	individual	indv	slice	slc
boiled	ckd	individually	iqf	small	sml
boneless	w/o bone	quick frozen		smoked	smkd
bottle	btl	industrial	indust	sodium	sod
braised	brsd	instant	inst	steamed	stmd
breaded	brd	international	intl	stewed	stwd
broiled	brld	junior	jr	strained	strnd
calcium	calc	large	lrg	strawberry	straw
California	Calif	medallion	mdln	stuffed	stuff
calorie	cal	medium	med	sugar	sug
caffeine	caff	Microwaved	microwv	sweetened	swtnd
canned	cnd	moisture	moist	sweetener	swtnr
carton	ctn	New Zealand	NZ	tablespoon	tbsp
charbroiled	char	old fashioned	old fash	teaspoon	tsp
chocolate	choc	ounce	oz	textured vegetable	TVP
chopped	chpd	package	pkg	protein
cholesterol	cholest	packet	pkt	toasted	tstd
commercial	cmrcl	partially	part	uncooked	unckd
compartment	comp	pasteurized	past	unenriched	unenrich
concentrate	conc	piece	pce	unflavored	unflvrd
condensed	cond	pineapple	pine	unfortified	unfort
condiments	w/cond	powder	pwd	unheated	unhtd
container	cntr	precooked	preckd	United States	USP
cooked	ckd	prepared	prep	Pharmacopoeia
cottonseed	cttnsd	processed	proc	unpeeled	w/skin
covered	cvrd	protein	prot	unprepared	unprep
cranberry	cran	ready to bake	rtb	unsweetened	unswtnd
decaffeinated	decaf	ready to cook	rtc	USDA Commodity	USDA
degerminated	degermed	ready to drink	rtd	vacuum	vac
dehydrated	dehyd	ready to eat	rte	vanilla	van
drained	drnd	ready to feed	rtf	vegetable	veg
each	ea	ready to heat	rth	vegetarian	vgtrn
enriched	enrich	ready to serve	rts	vitamin	vit
family	fam	ready to use	rtu	whole	whl
flavor	flvr	recipe	rec	with	w/
flavored	flvrd	reduced	rducd	without	w/o

Functional Foods

The good news with functional foods is that what you do eat may be more important for your health than what you don't eat. Examples include everything from fruits and vegetables to fortified or enhanced foods. Biologically active components in functional foods may impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects. Functional attributes of many traditional foods are being discovered, while new food products are being developed with beneficial components.

Examples of Functional Components

Functional Food information provided by The International Food Information Council Foundation

How diabetic exchanges are calculated

CALCULATING DIABETIC EXCHANGES AT ESHA RESEARCH

The following chart presents information from the American Diabetes Association, Inc., and The American Dietetic Association. It shows the amount of nutrients in one exchange from each exchange category. We use these values to calculate exchanges.

Group/Lists	Carbohydrate (grams)	Protein (grams)	Fat (grams)	Calories
Carbohydrate Group
1 Starch Exchange =	15	3	1 or less	80
1 Fruit Exchange =	15	--	--	60
1 Milk Exchange =	12	8	0-3	90
1 Other Carbohydrate Exchange =	15	Varies	Varies	Varies (70)
1 Vegetables Exchange =	5	2	--	25
Meat and Meat substitute Group
1 Very Lean Meat Exchange =	--	7	0-1	35
1 Lean Meat Exchange =	--	7	3	55
Fat Group
1 Fat Exchange =	--	--	5	45

Single Exchange Methods:

Some foods are very simple to calculate for exchanges. For example, hard candies naturally have a high carbohydrate value, but little to no fat and protein. These foods would then only need to have one exchange calculated for them.

Following are examples of the calculation methods for a single exchange:

Starch Example:

1 cup (195 g) Long Grain Brown Rice-Cooked = 216 Calories

44.9 g carbohydrate

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a starch exchange. The 1st method should be tried first and the 2nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Using the carbohydrate grams per starch exchange:
   Divide the total carbohydrate grams by 15 grams per starch exchange
   44.9 g / 15 g = 2.99 starch exchange
   Test the calorie value by multiplying by 80 calories per starch exchange:
   2.99 x 80 = 239 calories
   Since we have a calorie value in excess of the total calories, this exchange number is incorrect. Use the 2nd method to determine the starch exchange value.
   
   
2. Using the calorie value per starch exchange:
   Divide total calories by 80 to get the starch exchange:
   216 / 80 = 2.7 starch exchange

Result: 2.7 Starch Exchanges

Fruit Example:

1 cup (145 g) Blueberries = 81 Calories

20 g carbohydrate

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a fruit exchange. The 1st method should be tried first and the 2nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total carbohydrate grams by 15 grams per fruit exchange:
   20g / 15g = 1.33 fruit exchange

Test the calorie value by multiplying by 60 calories per fruit exchange:
1.33 x 60 = 80 calories

Result: 1.33 Fruit Exchange

 

If the calorie value had been in excess of the total calories, the 2nd method would then be used to determine the fruit exchange value. Using the calorie value per fruit exchange, Divide total calories by 60 to get the fruit exchange:

81 / 60 = 1.35 fruit exchange

However this example only needed to use the 1 ^st method. Using the 2nd method gave a different answer and would be incorrect. See results above.

Milk Example:

1 cup (245 g) Lowfat Dry Milk + Water = 84 Calories
11.9 g carbohydrate

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a milk exchange. The 1st method should be tried first and the 2nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total carbohydrate grams by 12 grams per milk exchange:
   11.9g / 12g = 0.991 milk exchange

Test for the calorie value by multiplying by 90 calories per milk exchange:
0.991 x 90 = 89 calories

Since we have a calorie value in excess of the actual calories, use the 2nd method to determine the milk exchange value.

2. Using the calorie value per milk exchange:

Divide total calories by 90 to get the milk exchange:

84 / 90 = 0.93 milk exchange

Result: 0.93 Milk Exchanges

Other Carbohydrate Example:

52 pieces (15 g) Cinnamon Imperials Candy = 60 Calories

15 g carbohydrate

Methods:

There are two ways to determine an other carbohydrate exchange. The 1st method should be tried first and the 2nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total carbohydrate grams by 15 grams per other carbohydrate exchange:
   15g / 15g = 1 other carbohydrate exchange

Test for the calorie value by multiplying by 70 calories per other carbohydrate exchange:
1 x 70 = 70 calories

Since we have a calorie value in excess of the actual calories, use the 2nd method to determine the other carbohydrate exchange value.

2. Using the calorie value per other carbohydrate exchange:

Divide total calories by 70 to get the other carbohydrate exchange:

60 / 70 = 0.85 other carbohydrate exchange

Result: 0.85 Other Carbohydrate Exchanges

 

 

Vegetable Example:

½ cup (50 g) Cauliflower, fresh, Chopped = 12.5 Calories
2.61 g carbohydrate

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a vegetable exchange. The 1st method should be tried first and the 2nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total carbohydrate grams by 5 grams per vegetable exchange:
   2.61g / 5g = 0.52 vegetable exchange

Test for the calorie value by multiplying by 25 calories per vegetable exchange:
0.5 x 25 = 13 calories

Since we have a calorie value in excess of the actual calories, use the 2nd method to determine the vegetable exchange value.

2. Using the calorie value per vegetable exchange:

Divide total calories by 25 to get the vegetable exchange:

12.5 / 25 = .5 vegetable exchange

Result: 0.5 Vegetable Exchange

Very Lean Meat Example:

1 fillet (116 g) Burbot Fish, raw = 104.4 calories

22.39 g protein

This food item has too little fat to earn a fat exchange

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a very lean meat exchange. The 1 ^st method should be tried first and the 2 ^nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total protein grams by 7 grams per very lean meat exchange:
   22.39g / 7g = 3.19 very lean meat exchange

Test for the calorie value by multiplying by 35 calories per very lean meat exchange:

3.19 x 35 = 111.65 calories

Since we have a calorie value in excess of the actual calories, use the 2nd method to determine the very lean meat exchange value.

2. Using the calorie value per very lean meat exchange:

Divide total calories by 35 to get the very lean meat exchange:

104.4 / 35 = 2.98 very lean meat exchange

Result: 2.98 Very Lean Meat Exchange

Fat Example:

1 tbsp Margarine, Stick = 102.13 Calories
11.4 g fat

Methods:

There are two ways to determine a fat exchange. The 1 ^st method should be tried first and the 2 ^nd method should be used only if the calorie value results of the 1 ^st method, when checked, go over the total calories of the product:

1. Divide the total fat grams by 5 grams per fat exchange:
   11.4g / 5g = 2.28 fat exchange

Test for the calorie value by multiplying by 45 calories per fat exchange:
2.28 x 45 = 102.6 calories

Since we have a calorie value in excess of the actual calories, use the 2nd method to determine the fat exchange value.




2. Using the calorie value per fat exchange:

Divide total calories by 45 to get the fat exchange:

102.13 / 45 = 2.26 fat exchange

Result: 2.26 Fat Exchanges

How Pyramid Values are calculated