E4-L«ncMttr Fanning, Saturday, March 26, 1994
NUTRITION LABELING
ITS TIME
HAS COME
William R. Henning
Associate Professor
Animal Science
Meat processors around the
country are furiously accumulat
ing nutrition information about
their products.
Food Safety and Inspection Sys
tem (FSIS) officials in the stan
dards and labeling branch arc
swamped. Label and packaging
companies arc doing a booming
business.
What’s at the bottom of ail this
‘activity?
By July 6, processed meat and
poultry products mustcomply with
provisions of the recently enacted
Nutrition and Labeling Act, which
require that processed meat and
poultry products display labels
with specific nutritional informa
tion. Companies may choose to
use existing “database” informa
tion rather than compiling an
expensive laboratory analyses for
each product. While that would
save processors millions of dol
lars, they must provide records and
current analyses if requested.
There has been some controver
sy about whether the labels will be
effective or an unnecessary, costly
government mandate. But the bot
tom line is that consumers want
nutritional information about the
products they purchase. Such
labeling should make diet planning
easier for those who are genuinely
concerned about the health and
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well-being of their families.
For instance, if a 2,000-calorie
diet is consumed, nutritional
guidelines say that no more than 30
percent of these calories should
come from fat Those 600 calories
would be derived from 65 grams of
fat in the product. Information on
the new food labels make it rela
tively simple to count grams of fat.
What information will the labels
include?
The goal of the legislation is to
“clear up consumer confusion and
encourage product innovation to
reflect new knowledge in nutri
tional science about nutrients that
are of public concern.” Some of
the terms you need to know to read
these new labels include:
• Reference daily intake (RDI)
replaces RDA (recommended dai
ly allowance). The values current
ly are the same, but revisions are
under way.
• Daily reference values (DRV)
provide desirable dietary goals for
total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
potassium, sodium, total carbohy
drate, protein, and dietary fiber.
• Daily values (DV) ate derived
from RDIs and DRVs and provide
the information upon which “per
centage information on the nutri
tion label is based.” Values ate
based on a 2,000-calorie daily
intake. This may be about right/or
most consumers, but others must
understand that their specific val
ues may differ from the standard
values.
• Reference amount. These are
the “amounts customarily con
sumed per eating occasion” (serv
ing size). Although there is a dif
ference between serving size and
William R. Hanning
reference amount, it was deter
mined that servings must be to the
nearest whole piece, such as a
slice, link, or patty {in the case of
meat products).
While this information should
be helpful, consumers must
remember to read carefully. For
instance, the Reference Amount
for typical frankfurters com
monly 16 franks to the pound—is
S 6 grams (2 ounces), since the
serving size is two franks. Howev
er, if the franks are larger (for
example, “stadium franks,” which
are typically 10 to the pound), the
serving size is only one frank, and
the Reference Amount becomes 4S
grams.
A total of 14 nutrients are
required on the standard nutrition
al label. These are to be listed as
normal units (i.e., calories, grams,
or milligrams) as appropriate, and
as a percent of the Daily Value
(%DV): total calories, calories
from fat, total frit, saturated frit,
cholesterol, sodium, total carbohy
drates, dietary fiber, sugars, pro
tein, vitamin A, vitamin C. cal
cium, and iron. The declaration of
other nutrients such as soluble
fiber, potassium, and other essen
tial vitamins and minerals is
optional.
Exemptions From
Labeling
Regulations
Because the USDA has decided
that labeling would provide a
financial burden for small busines
ses, meat processing firms with an
annual production of less than
100,000 pounds of product and
SOO or fewer employees are
exempt from the new labeling reg
ulation (so long as their product
labels bear no nutritional claims or
nutrition information).
Other labeling exemptions
include meat products that are
intended for further processing,
are sold to restaurants, weigh one
half ounce or less, are intended for
export, are packaged in ready-to
at portions or portioned at retail
establishments, are multi
ingredient, or are processed at
retail establishments.
Although raw, single-ingredient
meat, fish, and poultry products
are also exempted, the USDA is
strongly encouraging retail estab
lishments to voluntarily provide
point-of-purchase nutrition infor
mation on at least 45 of the most
common retail products.
Some things to remember about
meat labels:
•Fat and cholesterol are the
least understood nutrients. Most
consumers have little idea about
the relationship between dietary
cholesterol and serum cholesterol,
and many are confused about “true
but misleading” claims. While the
new labeling may help some con-
NC+ Hybrids Works To
Find Com Borer Resistance
HASTINGS, Neb. NC+ Hy
brids researchers are'examining
both conventional and biotech
nological ways of establishing re
sistance to European com borer,
according to Lonnie Hester, NC+
com research manager.
“While we continue to do
screening and testing for natural
com borer resistance, we are also
working with companies that are
involved in gene transfer to ac
complish com borer resistance,”
Hester said.
Hester said that biotech films
working to transfer the Bt gene
from Bacillus thuringiensis that
produces the toxic effect against
com borer into the com plant,
have a good chance of success.
“We maintain testing and work
ing relationships with as many of
sumers identify the hidden source
of fat in their diets, it may be mis
understood by others.
• Single-food items should not
be classified as “good” or “bad."
Because meats contain only Cuand
protein, a relatively high
of calories will necessarily come
from fat. Remember, the
recommends that no more than 30
percent of total calories consumed
daily should come from fat.
of the foods you eat will have leu
fat and others will have more, but
overall, if you consume 2.000
calories, no more than 30 percent
of these calorics should come from
fat (equivalent to 65 grams).
Labeling will make iteasier to plan
for these differences.
• Because FDA wants to stan
dardize all foods, some meat pro
ducts will be forced to ehanp
common references to absolute
amounts for certain nutrients. That
means that ground beef currently
labeled “extra-lean” (10 percent
fat) will simply be labeled “lean.”’
To earn the extra-lean label, the fat
must be reduced to less than 5
percent.
• To benefit consumers and
enhance the perception of their'
products, some processors are'
lowering both fat and sodium. '
There is no question that many'
consumers want nutritional infer-,
mation. But will the complex label
format and changes from mere,
traditional terminology ’ provide,
that information or just confute;
consumers? Only time will tell*
those companies as possible,”
Hester said. “And we expect the
material to be available to us if
some point. We will then have t&
breed the outside material into oul
lines. That’s why we are research!
ing 4rhich of ous lines have thl
best natural resistance.” ,
Two studies under way at thf
NC+ Reasearch Center near Has
ings. Neb., arc aimed at identify
ing hybrids with natural resis
tance. The studies ate in the third
year. In addition to their research
application, the studies also iff
designed to provide agronomic iff
formation to NC+ sales staff fff
customers, according to Dfflff
Volkmer, com breeder and project
coordinator.
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