Li Ning: The truth and falsehood of nutrition labels

Researcher Li Ning

Vice President of Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology

Director of National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

Expert opinion 1: The National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods is an important regulatory basis for labeling nutrition information

Pre-packaged food manufacturers should label the nutritional information of their products based on the National Food Safety Standard - General Rules for Nutrition Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (GB 28050-2011). The main contents of the standard include the nutrition table, nutrition claims and nutrition function claims.

The Nutrition Facts Table is a standardized table that indicates the name, content and percentage of the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) of food nutrients. It is mandatory to indicate the content, among which energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium must also be indicated in the Nutrition Facts Table.

Nutritional claims are explanations of the content of nutrients, and there are regulations on when a nutrient is high, low, or free or rich. Nutritional function claims are descriptions of the physiological functions of nutrients, and both are voluntary.

Expert opinion 2: Nutrition labeling should be truthful, objective and credible

The value indicated on the nutrition label should truly and objectively reflect the content of nutrients in the product. Enterprises can obtain the content value of nutrients through product testing, or calculate it through product raw material formula. The allowable error between the indicated value and the measured value is an important basis for judging whether the indicated value on the label is accurate. According to the standard, the allowable error for protein, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (acids), carbohydrates, vitamins (excluding vitamin A and vitamin D), minerals (excluding sodium), etc. is ≥80% of the indicated value; the allowable error for energy, fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar (excluding lactose), etc. is ≤120% of the indicated value; the allowable error for vitamin A and vitamin D should be between 80% and 180% of the indicated value.

Expert opinion 3: Nutritional claims and nutritional ingredient function claims must be clearly stated and supported by evidence

Although nutrition claims and nutrition function claims are voluntary, they must comply with relevant regulations if they are required: 1. The corresponding nutrition content values ​​must be listed in the nutrition table to give consumers a clear display; 2. Claims can only be made when the nutrition content meets the requirements or other restrictive conditions; 3. If claims are made, the claim terms used must strictly comply with the standard specification terms and cannot be changed at will. The standardization of nutrition claims and nutrition function claims avoids misleading consumers.

Expert opinion 4: Continuously improving relevant standards is an important means to promote national health

At present, the "National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB 28050-2011) is being revised. Taking into account the current prominent problems of national nutrition and health, it has added mandatory labeling requirements for nutrients such as sugar and saturated fatty acids. At the same time, companies are encouraged to use more understandable methods such as graphics and text in voluntary labeling to supplement the information on the nutrition table, so that consumers can understand the nutritional characteristics of food more intuitively.

Through the continuous revision and improvement of standards, food companies are encouraged to standardize their labeling, and it is also convenient for consumers to understand nutrition labels, so that they can rationally choose foods and match meals, and continuously improve their own nutritional health levels.

Picture丨TuChong Creative

Expert suggestion 1: Companies should correctly adopt the method of determining the labeled value and scientifically prepare nutrition labels

Determining the nutrition label value should be the most cautious step for companies to make nutrition labels. If the nutrient content value is obtained through product testing, the company should determine the source, batch and quantity of the sample for random inspection based on the characteristics of the product or nutrient, and give priority to the testing method specified in the national standard. In principle, it should be able to reflect different batches of products to ensure the reliability of the labeled data. For foods with unstable nutrient content or easily changing raw material background values, the number of testing batches should be increased accordingly.

If the value is calculated based on the product raw material formula, the enterprise should use reliable data, such as the test data provided by the supplier, the data accumulated in the production and research and development of the enterprise's products, or the database published by the authoritative organization, etc. In order to ensure the traceability of the value, it is recommended that the enterprise retain the relevant information so as to query and correct related problems in a timely manner.

Expert advice 2: Choose food scientifically based on your own nutritional and health needs

Consumers are advised to learn to read and understand labels. For people who need to consume more certain nutrients, such as children and adolescents who are in the growth and development period, the demand for protein is relatively strong. When choosing food, they can appropriately choose foods with higher protein content. For consumers who need to limit some nutrients, such as patients with hypertension, they can choose foods with low sodium content.

The percentage of NRV of the nutrient content in the nutrition information table can also be used to guide the proper diet. For example, if the NRV% of protein in a food is 6% per 100g, it means that the protein intake of 100g of the food only meets 6% of the daily protein requirement, and other foods are needed to supplement the protein intake.

The "Scientific Interpretation of Food Safety and Health Hot Topics Media Communication Conference" has been held for 10 consecutive years since 2012. Every year, authoritative experts are invited to provide scientific interpretations of the annual food safety and health hot topics. In the form of "consensus in the scientific and technological community", it is widely disseminated through mainstream media and new media, such as television, newspapers, the Internet, Weibo, WeChat, etc. With scientific truth and fair suggestions, we will guide the public opinion on food safety in my country to gradually change in a scientific, objective and rigorous direction, and convey the positive energy of China's food safety.