I made this jeopardy board while interning with MSU Extension. I used it as part of an EFNEP nutrition program for the elementary schools. (June, 2011)

Understanding Food Labels

.

. Food packages can contain many different labels, making claims that the product is “low-fat, low-sodium, fat-free, and so on”. The food and drug administration (FDA) has set standards, and must approve their use on labels.

“Free” means no amount of, or only trivial or “physiologically inconsequential” amounts of, one or more of these components—fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars and calories.

Calorie-Free: fewer than 5 calories per serving

Sugar-Free: less than 0.5 g per serving Fat-Free: less than 0.5 g per serving Trans Fat Free: less than 0.5 g per

serving

“Low” means foods that could be eaten frequently without exceeding Dietary Guidelines for Americans for one or more of these components.

Low-Calorie: 40 calories or less per serving

Low-Fat: 3 g or less per serving Low Saturated Fat: 1 g or less saturated

fat per serving Low-Sodium: 140 mg or less per serving Very Low Sodium: 35 mg or less per

serving Low Cholesterol: 20 mg or less

cholesterol and 2 g or less saturated fat per serving

“Lean” and “Extra Lean” can be used to describe the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats.

Lean: less than 10 g of fat, less than 4.5 g of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.

Extra Lean: less than 5 g of fat, less than

2 g of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.

Organic Food has been cultivated and processed in a more ecologically sustainable way. Except for food produced by small operations, foods must be certified by USDA accredited certifiying agencies, to be labeled 100% Organic or Organic

Light means an altered product that

contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food.

High means the food contains 20% or more of the daily value for a particular nutrient in a serving.

Reduced means a nutritionally altered product that contains 25% less of a nutrient or calories than the regular or reference product. This claim cannot be made if the reference product is “low”.

Less means a food, whether altered or not, that contains 25% less of a nutrient, or of calories, than the reference food. “Fewer” is also acceptable.

Good Source means one serving of a food contains 10-19% of the daily value for a particular nutrient.

No Sugar Added means no sugar is added during processing or packaging of a food that normally contains added sugar.

More means the product contains a nutrient that is at least 10% (of the daily value) more than the reference food.

Healthy describes a food that is low in fat and saturated fat and contains limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium per serving. In addition, it must have at least 10% daily value of one or more of 6 key nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber, if it is a single food item). Raw meat, poultry and fish can be labeled “Healthy” if a serving contains no more than 5 g of fat, 2 g saturated fat and 96 mg cholesterol.

Fresh is a food that is raw, has never been frozen or heated and contains no preservatives. “Fresh frozen”, “frozen fresh” and “freshly frozen” can be used for foods that are quickly frozen while still fresh. Uses like “fresh bread” are still allowed.

Understanding Food Labels____________________________

o Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.

o Organic food is produced without t he use of most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Use of genetically engineered seed, ionizing radiation and artificial additives is not permitted.

o Products labeled 100% Organic must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically produced ingredients. Products made with at least 95% organic ingredients (excluding water and salt) may be labeled Organic. Products that contain at least 70% organic ingredients can use the phrase “Made with Organic Ingredients”.

o Natural and Organic are not interchangeable terms. You may see “natural”, “all natural”, “free-range”, “hormone-free” on labels. These labels must be truthful, but don’t confuse them with the term organic.

I created this handout while interning with MSU Extension (April, 2011)

This is the menu I developed during my school food service rotation. Accomplishing this project involved meeting USDA and state nutrition standards for school lunch, meeting budget guidelines, as well as ordering food and completing a production sheet.(February, 2011).

During my school food service rotation, one of my competencies was to have a “Theme Meal”. I developed the menu, keeping in mind previous menu preferences, USDA nutrition Standards and budget. On event day, I helped to prepare the food and evaluated the production records after the event.(February, 2011).

Here are some pictures from the actual event. These are from Hiawatha Elementary School, although the event would actually take place in 5 satellite Elementary Schools.(February, 2011).

This is a template I created, so that I could quickly label nutrition information for the public on meals and/or recipes created.(February, 2011)

During my school food service rotation, I created this display board as part an effort to educate students about beans and legumes.

I used foam paper as the back drop and for the words “About Beans”, which added texture to the board.

This project involved collaboration with the Michigan Bean Commission and Soybean Committee. (March, 2011)

This is another board I created as part of the bean promotion.

The word, “Legumes?” is strung out on a string, which game the board a nice dimension.

(March, 2011)

This is a display board that I created while interning with WIC. I presented this at the monthly health fair to teach clients about healthy ways to season food.

Because WIC had a large scale printer, I was able to create this on Microsoft Publisher and print it off as one large sheet. (October, 2009)

I created this brochure (see the next page for the interior) while attending Oregon State University. This brochure was part of a class project, involving research on the topic of High Protein Diets and Osteoporosis. After writing a 10-page research paper, I created this handout and gave a power point presentation to my classmates.(January, 2008)