Food Composition, Labels, and Claims

Composition is specific to the food and form

Food composition describes energy, nutrients, water, and other constituents in a defined food. The value changes with cultivar or breed, soil and feed, maturity, season, processing, fortification, preparation, storage, edible portion, and laboratory method. A raw value cannot automatically represent a cooked food because water gain or loss changes concentration and cooking can alter or move nutrients. Likewise, a generic database item may not represent a fortified brand. First match the food description, form, preparation, fat level, added ingredients, edible portion, and unit. Then check the data source and date. Report composition per stated amount, such as 100 g or one measured serving, and do not hide uncertainty behind excessive decimal places.