What does the fda require companies to do if they list the % dv for protein on a food label?

Nutrient Content Claims for Protein Label: What You Need To know

Protein is one of three macronutrients and is particularly important in muscle growth and development.

When Americans are looking at which products to buy, they will sometimes make a snap decision based on the nutrient content claims readily available on the packaging. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specific requirements for what products are able to claim based on their nutritional content. In this article, we will focus on “protein”, a nutrient that people are always trying to eat more of.

Protein

Protein is one of three macronutrients in food that provides energy for the body, the other two being fat and carbohydrates. Protein is particularly important in muscle growth and development. Protein can be found in food from plants and animals including the following:

• Beans and peas

• Dairy products

• Eggs

• Grains and vegetables (these generally provide less protein than is found in other sources)

• Meats and poultry

• Nuts and seeds

• Seafood (fish and shellfish)

• Soy products

Food manufacturers are not required to list the % DV of protein per serving on their nutrition facts label unless they are making a nutrient content claim.

RACCs

Before making any nutrient content claims, it’s important to understand what the nutrient content claims are based on. Most of the claims you are going to be making in regards to protein, are based on the Daily Value (DV) and the Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACCs). You can learn more about RACCs here.

In order for a food to be “High” in protein, the food must contain 20% or more of the recommended DV per RACC. The DV for protein is 50g, so the RACC of the food must contain over 10g of protein to have the “High in Protein” nutrient content claim.

To have a nutrient content claim of a food being a “Good Source of Protein” the food must contain 10-19% of the DV per RACC, or 5 to 9.5g of protein per RACC.

If you would like to have your food product touted as having “more protein” than a referenced food, your product must have 10% more of the DV per RACC than the referenced food.

When deciding which nutrient content claims you are eligible to use, it’s important to use accurate recipes. LabelCalc’s online database analysis will give you accurate FDA-compliant food labels with FDA-Approved Health Claims included.

LabelCalc is an industry-leading recipe analysis tool used by food manufactures, global retail stores and food entrepreneurs. To get started, see our pricing today.

You've probably noticed that not all nutrients on food labels list a daily value percentage. It's not that a company isn't complying with regulations, it's because there are some nutrients for which the FDA doesn't require a daily value. Trans fat, sugar and protein rarely have a daily value percentage listed on the nutrition label.

This is because it hasn't established any specific guidelines about how much a person can consume for optimal health. Food manufacturers are required to give a percentage of the daily value for protein if a product is labeled as being high in protein, or if it's specifically made for children or infants under the age of four.

Avoid These...

Both trans fats and sugars should be avoided as much as possible in order to prevent health issues like obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease. Trans fat is linked to elevating LDL blood cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, which increases your risk of coronary heart disease.

According to educators at the University of California at San Francisco, your body is capable of producing most of the sugar that it needs in order to run efficiently, and that is not a large amount at all. Any excess sugar—be it from refined sugar or those naturally occurring—will be shuttled through your body and stored as fat. Many health professionals recommend keeping daily sugar grams as low as possible, and many weight loss plans have been based around limiting sugar intake to 15-20 grams a day or less.

...And Eat This

Protein is an essential for maintaining muscle mass and repairing your body, so you need to consume an adequate amount for your health goals. Protein also helps satiate your hunger and keeps you full for hours; a perfect nutrient for battling the bulge. Animal proteins, with their natural fats that also keep hunger at bay, are optimal but you can also use nuts and seeds as a source of protein.

For a free consultation to discuss your eating habits and learn how you can optimize your diet for better health, wellness and weight loss, contact one of our coaches at the Metabolic Research Center today!

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