Whether you're at a vending machine, a convenience store, or in line at the cafeteria, what you choose to chomp on can make a big difference in the way you feel.
Crash Course: Does this look familiar? Think of all the cereal boxes and juice cartons you've ever read at breakfast. You may even have noticed these on candy wrappers and cans of soda. They are Nutrition Fact labels... but what are they saying exactly? Roll over any of the words or numbers on the label above to get the lowdown. When you're ready, go ahead and Take the Food Label Challenge!
1800's - Food label free-for-all. Consumers buy, eat and hope for the best. 1906 - The first Federal Food and Drug Act allows the government to regulate the safety and quality of food. 1924 - The FDA bans untrue and potentially misleading statements and claims from all food labels. 1938  - FDA requires an ingredient list and the name and address of manufacturer to be included on all food labels. 1958 - Manufacturers of new food additives must establish that they are safe to consume. The FDA prohibits the approval of any food additive shown to induce cancer in humans or animals. 1960 - Manufacturers must establish the safety of color additive shown to induce cancer in humans or animals. 1973 - Labels are required to include nutritional values for vitamins and minerals. 1977 - Labels for products containing the chemical sweetener saccharin must include a warning that it has found to cause cancer in laboratory animals. 1990 - Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. The FDA and USDA undertake a vast overhaul of food labels. 1994 - The debut of the Food Label as you know it today. *	1. A "Nutrition Facts" label must appear in a standard design with easy-to-read type on nearly all packaged foods. 2. A new "% Daily Value" column to explain how food fits into the healthy diet. 3. Information about saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, fiber, and calories, protein, and vitamin and mineral content must be included. 4. Serving sizes listed on label must resemble the amounts people would really eat of any given food. 5. Terms such as "light" or "low-fat" must meet strict government definitions. Lowfat means that there are less than 30% of the total calories from fat. Reduced fat. Reduced fat means that at least 25% less fat than the regular version of the food. Light is more confusing, but means that the fat and calories are lower than the original product by 50%.   **information from KidsHealth.org

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