Food Nutrition Facts Labels, recently updated, reflect how much we eat, not recommended portion sizes

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The last time you scooped some ice cream for dessert, did you limit yourself to half a cup? If you took more, you’re right in step with most people these days. Likewise with a soft drink: Do you drink 8 ounces, 12 ounces, or the entire 20-ounce bottle?

Ice cream and soft drinks are just two food products that have been affected by changes in serving size requirements that are included in the updated Nutrition Facts label. The goal: to bring serving sizes closer to what people actually eat, so that when they look at calories and nutrients on the label, these numbers more closely match what they are consuming.

The serving sizes listed on the Nutrition Facts label are not recommended serving sizes. By law, serving sizes must be based on how much food people actually consume, and not on what they should eat.

In 1993, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration created the Nutrition Facts label, the standards used to determine serving sizes — called the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) — were based primarily on surveys of food consumption conducted in 1977-1978 and 1987-1988. The 1993 RACCs were used by manufacturers for over 20 years to calculate the serving sizes on their packages.

The updated RACCs used to set the requirements for serving sizes on packages are now based on 2003 to 2008 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

In some cases, the reference amounts used to set serving sizes are smaller. Today’s individually packaged yogurts more often come in 6-ounce containers, versus the previous 8-ounce ones. The FDA is now using a 6-ounce reference amount for yogurt.

But the serving size for ice cream is now a little larger. Instead of a half of a cup, it’s now two-thirds of a cup.

Changes Based on Package Size

The FDA also changed the criteria for labeling based on package size. With the updated requirements, more food products previously labeled as more than one serving are now required to be labeled as just one serving. Why? Because people are more likely to eat or drink the entire container or item in one sitting. Examples include a 20-ounce can of soda, and a 15-ounce can of soup. And many large muffins that were previously labeled as two or even three servings will be labeled as a single serving under the updated requirements, consistent with how people generally consume them.

Certain larger packages that may be consumed either in one sitting or more than one sitting — depending on your appetite and inclination — must now be labeled both per serving and per package. This dual-column format is required if a package contains at least two times the reference amount customarily consumed (on which the serving size is based) and less than or equal to three times the reference amount. Some examples are a 19-ounce can of soup and 3-ounce bag of chips.

Previously, manufacturers were only required to provide the calorie and nutrient information per serving, and you would have to do the math if you’re eating the whole container. So if you have a hankering for some chips and eat an entire package, now you’ll have easier access to information about what you’re consuming.

For packages that are clearly larger than most people would eat in one sitting — one that has more than three servings — the dual column is not required. Manufacturers are only required in these cases to label these products per serving. Examples include a “party size” bag of chips or a two-liter bottle of soda.

The FDA hopes the updated label will make it easier for people to determine the number of calories and nutrients they’re actually consuming so they can ultimately make healthier food choices for themselves and their families.