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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
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Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION CLAIMS ON FOOD LABELS
Volume 78, Number 1 January/February 2007
Introduction
 According to a nationwide survey conducted by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention magazine, 62% of shoppers surveyed said that their diets could be healthier (70% for shoppers with children) (1). Likewise, the FMI’s 2006 Grocery Shopper Trends survey (2) found that 70% of shoppers think that their diets could be at least somewhat or a lot more healthful. To help make positive dietary changes, many nutrition-conscious consumers are using food labels and nutrition claims to help guide their food choices (2,3). More than half of shoppers surveyed in FMI’s Trends survey said that they look for health and nutrition claims on product packages stressing whole grains (57%), high fiber (54%), and low in fat (53%) (2). Other claims sought after by at least 40% of respondents included low sugar, low calorie, low sodium, absence of trans fat, and low or lowers cholesterol (2). Thirty-two percent of survey respondents said that when purchasing a food product, they look for the claim “reduces risk of heart disease” and 19% look for the claim “reduces risk of cancer” (2).
Nutrition claims on food labels can positively influence consumers’ food choices and help them implement key recommendations in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – which provides science-based advice to promote health and reduce the risk of major chronic diseases – encourages the use of health-related claims to help consumers implement the Guidelines’ key diet and physical activity recommendations (4). Today, a wide variety of foods, including dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, carry claims to communicate their nutrition and health benefits. This is not surprising given dairy products’ unique nutrient package. For example, milk provides nine essential nutrients – calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and vitamins A, D, B12, riboflavin, and niacin (niacin equivalents) (5). Also, studies show that dairy products, when consumed as part of a healthy diet, may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and hypertension (6). Additionally, emerging scientific research indicates that dairy products may help reduce the risk of kidney stones, colon cancer, and obesity (6).
This Digest reviews different types of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated nutrition claims for conventional foods and provides specific examples on qualifying dairy products. For more information on this topic, readers are referred to an overview of label claims provided by the FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lab-hlth.html), The Code of Federal Regulations (7), and National Dairy Council’s Quick Reference Guide to Nutrition Claims on Dairy Products (www.innovatewithdairy.com/claims).
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