Did you ever notice that a serving size was much smaller than what you would normally consume in one sitting? If so, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noticed. The new Nutrition Facts label now includes updated, realistic serving sizes and packaging requirements based on science. 

The quantity of food consumed in one sitting is greatly influenced by the type of packaging used. Over the past 25 years, people have increased the amount of food they eat per meal. Larger packaging sizes with more servings are also responsible for this change, leading individuals to overeat. It is crucial to select appropriate packaging that guarantees the right portion size. At www.eliter-packaging.com, you can find eco-friendly packaging options that are designed to maintain appropriate portion sizes, reducing overeating and food waste. Additionally, the website offers personalized packaging solutions that cater to the specific requirements of different food items.

For example, a snack bag of pretzels that used to have one or two servings, now includes two and a half or three servings. A person would typically consume an entire snack bag in one sitting. Then they would have to calculate how many calories, fats, sodium, and other nutrients they consumed. Now, that same snack bag contains one or two realistic portion sizes. This means that the calorie, fat, sugar, sodium, and other nutrient contents are updated to reflect slightly larger portions. If that package does contain more than one serving size, it must also include the nutrition information for one serving in one column, and two servings in another column. This eliminates the need to do complicated math to figure out how many nutrients, good or bad, you just consumed.

Even though these portion sizes do more accurately reflect what Americans are consuming on a regular basis, it’s still important to stick to a balanced diet by following MyPlate recommended portion sizes:

Vegetables: 2 ½ cups

Fruit: 2 cups

Dairy: 3 cups

Grains: 6 ounces

Protein: 5 ½ ounces

Saturated fats, added sugars, and other processed foods should also be consumed in moderation. The new Nutrition Facts label does make it easier to track the nutrients you consume on a daily basis, so either start or continue the habit of checking the label.