Interestingly, we often get that question from the ‘friends and family’ of New England Country Soup. We all take the accuracy of the information for granted (for good reason as you will see below) … and spend most of our time as consumers ‘comparing and contrasting’ labels (kinda sounds like a high school writing assignment) of the same type of food … soups, for instance.

As any fan or follower of New England Country Soup probably knows by now, we are big fans of Michael Pollan and his “eat food, not too much, mostly plants” philosophy. At the heart of this thinking is “balance” … sodium is necessary, but not too much; fat is necessary, but not too much; meat protein is good for you, but not too much; food is critical, so good tasting food is a good thing, but not too much; etc., etc.

 In trying to strike that balance, those Nutrition Facts play a very important role, helping you choose wisely for yourself, family and friends. So, we thought we would ‘pull the curtain back’ on the source of that data  … to do that, we called our friend Karen Duester, MS, RD, President of The Food Consulting Company (foodlabels.com) which is now the largest independent evaluator of nutrition facts in the world.

Her perspective has always been that, while she works for the manufacturer, her ultimate client is the consumer. This clarity of vision has helped her company become a trusted resource to many food manufacturers … from Kraft to Costco and, of course, New England Country Soup. Our President, Peter Thomson, who has been working with Karen for almost twenty years, asked her to demystify these important Nutrition Facts for us:

First, since we have been working together for almost twenty years … that means you started your Company in what 7^th Grade?  Laughter … no, not quite. But after college and graduate school and hospital work on the nutrition side and work with a nutritional software company, it was time. It has been a great ride. I have had the opportunity to work with an impressive group of passionate, smart and committed people throughout the food industry … just like 7^th graders!

Seriously, where do the Facts come from for the Nutrition Facts we see on labels?

The facts come from one of two sources: database or lab testing. The FDA encourages the database approach because it more effectively factors in the natural variances you see in nutritional content of the same raw materials, be harvested from the soil or ocean or sourced from another animal.  We take the oh-so-detailed information about the exact product formulation, the elaborate raw material specifications, and any processing information like moisture loss that might alter the nutritional content of the product … then put it through a detailed analysis to determine the nutrients per 100 gram serving and determine the proper FDA mandated serving size. We then translate that information into the “Nutrition Facts” label that is so familiar to consumers. It is interesting to note that the basic Nutrition Facts label format has remained unchanged since its implementation in 1993 with one exception: the addition of Trans Fat information which was added in 2006.

If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about how consumers interact with food nutritional information?

I would give every consumer the desire to choose healthy and appropriate foods for their lives.

The problem of improving nutrition and health in our country is not, I think, a problem caused by too little information. All the really important information is right there on the label in an easy to read, easy to understand format … and of course, technology has recently helped make that information even more accessible, more quickly.

How do we encourage folks to choose wisely based on this readily available information? That is the challenge … and the promise!

I am continually impressed by the intelligence, passion and energy of the people in the US food industry. I am hopeful that working together, we can continue to help the American consumers make ever smarter choices about their foods. It is important and it is possible … in this best of all possible worlds!