INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — You may have noticed it on a growing number of food and drink packages. Facts Up Front is a voluntary effort by food manufacturers to make it simpler for you to see what a product contains.
“It’s these small icons that are usually either in the top corner or down on the bottom of the box,” Jamie Jarvis, registered dietitian with Hy-Vee, said.
The icons show the calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving.
Manufacturers can choose to add two additional icons.
Jarvis points to a box of cereal that shows fiber and calcium.
“There are also some nutrients that are encouraged in your diet — things like fiber,” she said.
Visit factsupfront.org for a nutrition calculator where you can determine your calorie and nutrient needs for the day.
Besides Facts Up Front, Hy-Vee aso has a NuVal number on the shelf that shows a product’s nutritional value.
“It’s a score from one to a hundred, and the higher the score, the better the nutritional value of the product,” Jarvis said.
