Nutrition Labels Are Often Misinterpreted

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Vanderbilt University researchers have released the results of a study into how people interpret nutrition labels. They found that many people are confused by serving sizes and end up overeating as a consequence.

One problem is that food manufacturers often split something that is typically eaten in one sitting into two or more servings. For instance, a can of soda or a muffin are often labelled as "two servings," which can be misleading.

With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, the FDA recently solicited suggestions on how to tweak nutrition labels and serving sizes to make them more useful. Consumers suggested labels that reflect the entire package for foods like muffins (two servings), that are typically eaten in a single sitting.

Serving Up Confusion on Nutrition