Chapter 20 - Nutrition and bioavailability: sense and nonsense of nutrition labeling

Abstract

The objective of this chapter was to briefly update the current state of knowledge on nutrition and bioavailability with respect to nutrition labeling. Chronic diseases remain a leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States (U.S.) and the rest of the world. It is recognized that chronic diseases are diet related, which can be managed or prevented through appropriate diet and lifestyle practices. Changes in dietary patterns require that sufficient information be provided at the point of food purchase. This information can be provided in a number of ways; however, the food label is one of the most immediate and direct sources of information, which can be supported with education and advertising. The section of information on the food label which declares nutrient content is termed nutrition labeling, nutrition panel, or nutrition facts. Globally, there are four main types of nutrition labeling regulatory environment. The U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have implemented mandatory nutrition labeling, although the format and content of the labels differ in these countries. Post December 2016, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires the vast majority of prepacked foods to bear a nutrition declaration, which provides the energy value and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt of the food. Several developing countries have adopted the Codex Alimentarius guidelines for nutrition labeling. The nutrition label will be more useful as an important public health tool to reduce diet-related disease if it provides estimates of bioavailability in addition to nutrient. A main drawback with nutrition labeling is that the nutrient content is not supported by information regarding its bioavailability. Globally, nutrition labels often focus on the total amount of nutrients in the particular product, giving no indication of the bioavailability of these nutrients once they are ingested. The bioavailability of the nutrients ingested in a product completes the whole picture about how nutritionally sound it is. Nutrient content on a nutrition label does not guarantee its nutritional value. Nutrients in foods and food products can exist in different forms, which result in diverse levels of bioavailability, therefore food manufacturers should be encouraged to provide information on the bioavailability of the nutrient listed on the label.