FOOD
Make choices for safe, wholesome, honestly labeled food - for your brain and body
Description
FDA regulates food to prevent foodborne illness, reduce diet-related chronic disease, ensure chemicals in food are safe.
Safe and healthful food is essential for brain growth, functioning, maintenance
It is an important factor in SAFEST BRAINS. Some examples provided below.
Infant
EXAMPLES
Formula, Neonatal starter parenteral nutrition, Baby/Toddler Food, Food contact materials like bottles, bottle inserts, nipples, any other products used to collect and store formula or breast milk.
Childhood-Adolescence
Adulthood
Elderly
EXAMPLES
Ready to Eat Products/Meals, Bakery Products, Dessert Toppings, Fillings, Cereals and other Grain Products, Beverages, Dairy Products, Dairy Substitutes, Egg and Egg Substitutes, Fats, Oils, Fish, Shellfish, Game Meats, Meat or Poultry Substitutes, Fruits, Fruit Juice, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Potatoes, Salads, Sauces, Dips, Gravies, Condiments, Snacks, Soups, Sugars, Sweets, Vegetables (select) and Food contact materials
FDA's Human Foods Program
Regulates 80% of U.S. food supply
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Make sure that food promotes wellness and support day-to-day activities
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Use science-based approaches to prevent foodborne illness, reduce diet-related chronic disease, make sure chemicals in food are safe
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For some products, works in collaboration with other federal agencies like US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
Food Safety
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Higher importance on preventing foodborne illness versus responding to it
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Standards for produce growing, harvesting, packing, holding
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Pre-harvest agricultural water rule
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Traceability rule for recordkeeping requirements
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Controls to prevent intentional adulteration
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Sanitary transportation of food
Requirements for Domestic and Imported Foods
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Pure
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Wholesome
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Safe to eat
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Produced under sanitary conditions
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Informative and truthful labeling in English
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Inspect, verify, accredit suppliers, importers, testing laboratories
Risk Management focus areas
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Food Chemical Safety for exposures to chemicals (including additives, contaminants)
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Nutrition to help lower diet-related chronic diseases, improve consumer awareness, ensure infant formula nutritional adequacy and safety
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Microbiological Safety to prevent pathogen-related foodborne illness
Nutrition Facts Label
What is it?
Required on packaged food and drinks for you to easily use this information to make appropriate choices.
How to read it?
Serving Size
- In familiar units (like cups, pieces, amount like grams) to make it easier to compare similar foods
- Reflects the amount that people typically eat or drink.
- NOT a recommendation of how much to eat or drink
Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package - then decide how much you should consume
Calories
- How much energy from one serving
- 2,000 calories a day is used as a general guide for nutrition advice. Your calorie needs may be higher or lower.
The number of servings you consume determines the number of calories you actually eat.
Nutrients
- Key nutrients that impact your health and support personal dietary needs
– Get less of: Saturated Fat, Sodium, Added Sugars
- Get more of: Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium
Percent Daily Value (%DV)
- For each nutrient in one serving
- Help check if a serving is high or low in a nutrient
- 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high
- Higher in %DV for Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium
- Lower in %DV for Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Added Sugars
Food Nutrition and Safety Regulations
Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)
Links between eating UPFs and a range of negative health outcomes. Regulations being developed to help consumers improve dietary patterns and lower diet-related chronic disease.
Medical
Food
Specially formulated product used to manage a specific health condition under a doctor's care. These are NOT drugs, cannot have misleading medical claims ad must list allergens.
FOOD CHECKLIST
for your nutrition and safety
Read the Nutrition Facts Label
Check the Servings
Nutrition information based on one serving of the food. it is common for a food package or beverage to have more than one serving.
Know Your Calorie Needs
2,000 calories/day is a general guide. Your calorie needs may be higher or lower and depend on your age, gender, height, weight, physical activity.
Use % Daily Value as a Guide. Can help you look for foods to decide which is the better choice for you.
Practice Food Safety
Check Expiration Date
Discard if food changes color, looks wilted, starts to smell prior to expiration date
Follow Storage Conditions
Check refrigerator thermometer settings for safe storage of food requiring cool/cold temperatures
Prevent Food-Borne Illness (food poisoning)
CLEAN: Wash your hands and uncooked produce/fruit (even if later peeled)
SEPARATE cutting boards: One for foods for cooking (meat, poultry, seafood), other for foods eaten raw (fruits, vegetables)
COOK: Use food thermometer for meat, poultry, fish, casseroles to kill internal pathogens
CHILL: Get an appliance thermometer to be sure of refrigerator temperatures (at or below 40ºF) freezer (0ºF or below).
Check for symptoms of Food-Borne Illness
Will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days; however, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later
SYMPTOMS: Include: vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain – and flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache.
Check if you are at Additional Risk for Food-Borne Illness
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Pregnant Women, Their Unborn Babies, and Children
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Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, Autoimmune Diseases
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Foods to Avoid: Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dough/batter, unpasteurized (raw) milk and milk products, unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce/salads. raw sprouts, unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juices that contain a warning label, hot dogs, cold cuts, dry sausage and smoked fish — unless reheated until steaming hot.