How to Read the Nutrition Facts Label (2020 format)

The Nutrition Facts label is the most useful tool you have in the grocery aisle, and it got its biggest update in more than 20 years when the FDA's revised format became mandatory around 2020. This guide walks through the label from top to bottom, explains what changed, and shows you which lines deserve most of your attention.

Why the label changed

The FDA first required a standard Nutrition Facts panel under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, and the rules live in federal regulations at 21 CFR 101.9. In 2016 the FDA finalized an updated design based on newer nutrition science and on the way Americans actually eat. Large manufacturers had to switch by January 2020, and smaller companies had until 2021. Today almost every packaged food you pick up uses the new format.

The main changes were:

• Bigger, bolder calories and serving size, so the two numbers you need first are the easiest to find.
• A new "Added Sugars" line with its own % Daily Value (%DV).
• Updated serving sizes that reflect how much people really eat, not how much they should eat.
• Vitamin D and potassium are now required, because many Americans fall short on them. Vitamins A and C became optional, since deficiencies are now uncommon in the US.
• "Calories from fat" was removed, because research shows the type of fat matters more than the total amount.
• Updated Daily Values for nutrients like sodium, fiber, and vitamin D.

Steps 1 and 2: Serving size, then calories

Start with the serving size

Every number on the label is for one serving, so read the serving size before anything else. Under the updated rules, serving sizes are based on amounts people typically consume. For example, a serving of ice cream grew from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup, and a serving of soda grew from 8 ounces to 12 ounces.

Check "servings per container" too. If a bag of chips holds three servings and you eat the whole bag, you need to triple every number on the label. To make this easier, the FDA now requires some packages that could be eaten in one or two sittings, like a pint of ice cream, to use a dual-column label that shows the numbers both "per serving" and "per package." A package that is between one and two servings, such as a 20-ounce soda, is labeled as a single serving because most people finish it at once.

Look at calories in context

Calories tell you how much energy one serving provides. The label's footnote uses 2,000 calories a day as a reference for general nutrition advice, but your own needs may be higher or lower depending on age, sex, body size, and activity level. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide estimated calorie needs by age, sex and activity level if you want a closer figure.

Calories alone don't tell you whether a food is a good choice. A handful of nuts and a handful of candy can have similar calories but very different nutrients, which is why the next section of the label matters.

Step 3: Read the nutrient lines

Nutrients most people should limit

The label lists total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most people eat more saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars than recommended. The Daily Values for these are:

• Saturated fat: 20 g
• Sodium: 2,300 mg
• Added sugars: 50 g
• Total fat: 78 g
• Cholesterol: 300 mg

Trans fat has no %DV, because health authorities advise keeping it as low as possible. See our guide to sodium and where it hides for more on one of the most overconsumed nutrients.

Carbohydrates and sugars

Total carbohydrate (Daily Value 275 g) includes starch, fiber, and sugars. Under it, you'll see dietary fiber, total sugars, and added sugars. Total sugars include sugars that occur naturally in foods like milk and fruit. Added sugars are the ones put in during processing. Total sugars have no %DV, but added sugars do. Our guide to added sugars vs total sugars explains the difference in detail.

Nutrients most people need more of

Dietary fiber (Daily Value 28 g), vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium are listed because many Americans don't get enough of them, according to the FDA. The label must show both the amount (in grams, milligrams, or micrograms) and the %DV for these four vitamins and minerals.

Protein

Protein is listed in grams. A %DV (based on a Daily Value of 50 g) is only required if the package makes a protein claim, like "high protein," or if the food is meant for young children. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 put more emphasis on protein than earlier editions; see our guide to protein claims for the numbers.

Step 4: Use the % Daily Value as a shortcut

The %DV column tells you how much one serving contributes toward the daily amount of a nutrient, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. The FDA offers a simple rule of thumb: 5% DV or less is low, and 20% DV or more is high. Aim high for fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium, and low for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

The %DV also makes comparisons easy. If one soup has 35% DV for sodium and another has 15%, you know which one to pick without doing any math. Our full guide to %DV and the 5/20 rule covers this in depth.

Step 5: Don't skip the ingredients list

The ingredients list isn't part of the Nutrition Facts panel, but it answers questions the panel can't. By FDA rule, ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few items make up most of the food. If a sugar or syrup is near the top, sugar is a major part of the product.

Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) and the FASTER Act of 2021, the nine major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame) must be clearly declared, either in the ingredients list or in a "Contains" statement.

Keep in mind that front-of-package claims like "natural" or "made with whole grains" are marketing messages. The Nutrition Facts panel and ingredients list are where the facts are.

How to use this on myfoodfact.com

Every product page on myfoodfact.com shows the Nutrition Facts data from the manufacturer's label, sourced from the USDA's FoodData Central database, along with the full ingredients list. You can put your label-reading skills to work right away:

• Browse low-sugar products (under 10 g of sugar per 100 g) to find less-sweet options.
• Compare low-sodium products when shopping for soups, snacks, and sauces.
• Find fiber-rich choices in our products ranked by fiber.
• Look up any unfamiliar item from an ingredients list in our ingredient directory.

The bottom line

Reading a label takes less than a minute once you know the order: serving size first, then calories, then the %DV for the nutrients you want more or less of, and finally the ingredients list. You don't need to track every number. Picking up two similar products and comparing a few key lines is one of the simplest ways to shift your diet in the direction the Dietary Guidelines recommend.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have a health condition or specific dietary needs, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian.