Food Health and Nutrition
What the exam tests
Food Health and Nutrition tests nutrient requirements, labeling, and claims. Expect calculations of %DV, distinctions among DRI values, and claim-substantiation rules.
Core rules
- DRI family: EAR (average requirement), RDA (covers 97-98% of healthy people), AI (used when an EAR is unavailable), UL (tolerable upper intake), and AMDR (energy-yielding macronutrient ranges).
- Nutrition Facts uses serving size, %DV based on Daily Values rather than DRIs, and mandatory declarations: calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, total and added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
- Claims: authorized health claims require significant scientific agreement; qualified health claims use weaker evidence with qualifying language; structure/function claims do not mention disease.
- FALCPA major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy; sesame was added by the FASTER Act.
- Added sugars have a 50 g DV; sodium DV is 2,300 mg.
Worked example
A snack has 400 mg sodium per 50 g serving. %DV = 400 ÷ 2,300 × 100 = 17% DV. If the package holds 2.5 servings, the whole package supplies 1,000 mg, or 43% DV, which matters for front-of-pack and high-in criteria. The trap is using the whole-package amount as the serving basis; FDA labeling is per serving, with dual-column labeling required for packages reasonably consumed in one sitting.
Traps
Confusing DV with DRI. Treating a structure/function claim as a disease claim. Forgetting sesame. Assuming no added sugar means sugar-free. Using %DV for protein without the PDCAAS adjustment when a claim is made.