The United States government has been in the business of regulating food manufacturing and labeling, to some degree, for nearly 100 years. The most recent change in this oversight took place in 1994 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) new food labeling requirements went into effect. The new, so-called "Nutrition Facts" panel seen on nearly all packaged food today, is a significant departure from the label that was in use for some 20 years prior to this time.
      The Nutrition Facts panel contains a wealth of detail on the contents of packaged food, its nutritive value, and other information of import to anyone who is the least bit concerned about nutrition. While designed to be easy to read, and as intuitive as possible, there is much about what appears on the new label that is not immediately obvious.
      The FDA has prepared extensive documentation on the history of the new food label, how to interpret the information it provides, and its limitations that you should be aware of. The initial background information appeared in a special issue of the FDA's publication, the FDA Consumer, in May 1993 just prior to the implementation of the new regulations. That publication is reproduced here in its entirety, in its original form, in "Focus on Food Labeling." The information contained in the various articles remains substantially accurate; where significant details have changed, links to the updated information have been provided. This is some of the best background information available on food labeling.
      In the years that have transpired since the implementation of the new label, the regulations have undergone some modification and enhancement; indeed, there are some elements that were not in their final form at the time these articles were written. In the section, "Today's Food Label," you will find more detailed information (at the expense of some redundancy), and current updates on the ongoing evolution of the food label.
      Finally, from the National Agricultural Library's Food and Nutrition Information Center (U.S. Department of Agriculture), we reproduce the report Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While oriented toward North Americans, this information can be of great value to anyone, and all are encouraged to use the documentation as best they may within the constraints of their individual cultural environments and religious practices.