Become more food label literate

The state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages all Floridians to become more food label literate.

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson says people who want to know more about the food they eat can get help deciphering the sometimes confusing food labels.

There is a lot of useful information on labels, including nutritional values, ingredients, serving sizes, fat and calorie content, and net quantity. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety, has a brochure available that breaks down each section and explains exactly what they mean and how the consumer can use the information for better health.

"In the wake of recent reports of food-borne illnesses, as well as numerous product recalls, the public is concerned about food safety issues," Bronson said. "I think it is timely for us to remind consumers we can help them understand how the label information is relevant to them."

For example, knowing what nutrients are in the products enables people to make healthy food choices. More importantly, for people who have food allergies, carefully reading the label and knowing what a product contains can be a matter of life or death.

Making sense of product date stamps is also important. Dairy, infant formula and shellfish must have expiration dates stamped on them but the majority of products are not required to do so. There are a number of phrases used and not all product dating is related to safety, it is often a quality issue.

"Sell by" gives the retailer a time limit on how long to have a product out so there is time for the consumer to take it home and use it.

"Best if used by" tells consumers how long the product will be at its best quality and is not related to any safety concerns.

An expiration date tells when a product should no longer be consumed because of the potential for bacteria growth or for loss of nutrient value.

Consumers who want to know more about the label information can obtain a brochure by calling the Department consumer hotline at 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435- 7352) or download from the Department's Division of Food Safety web site at http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/fs/ (click on "Publications" in the left-hand column).