Without Googling it, what are US Serving Sizes on Nutrition Labels are based on?

AmberlyMarlene

What were you taught/What were you under the impression of what Serving Sizes of packaged foods in the U.S. are based on?

Lietchi

Cynical answer: whatever serving size the company chooses, in order to make their foods seem healthier?

Disclaimer: I'm not American

sollyn23l2

I agree with Leitchi... whatever amount the company wants to put on to make their product look more reasonable calorie-wise. I think it goes by recommended serving size, but the "serving" recommendation is decided by the company itself, not by the USDA or FDA or anything.

AmberlyMarlene

Recommended portion for the average person

Lietchi wrote: »

Cynical answer: whatever serving size the company chooses, in order to make their foods seem healthier?

Disclaimer: I'm not American

I learned today it is legally regulated by the FDA which cynically I agree with a twist which is that company gets the serving size they want, paid for under the table or through "donations" to the FDA and/or it's members to boost that Serving Size number.

musicfan68

Typical consumption by the average person

I've read, and ironically enough, watched a video earlier this morning about this. It is based on what the average person would eat, the caveat is that it was from the '70s. That is why we are seeing things change like a can of pop the serving being 8 oz on a 12 oz can, to reflect the larger portions people are eating now.

AmberlyMarlene

Recommended portion for the average person

@musicfan68 I also saw it on a video today which is why I was baffled that I didn't already know that, especially since I'm here to lose weight. I just don't get why they do that in a country where weight gain is a nationwide health problem due to many contributing factors such as overeating, does this not encourage a cycle of increased weight gain? I have asked multiple people in my household if they were aware as to what "serving size" was based on, including people who had the same Health Class as me back in school. No one knew.

As I said earlier I do believe it's more or less the FDA following what they're paid to follow by major food manufacturers and distributors such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.

neanderthin

For most of the time of human existence we didn't know what a portion was, now that it's prolific and intrinsically entwined into our psyche we're fat and confused.

COGypsy

Does it really matter what their serving size is, though? I just weigh what I eat and don’t worry so much about what some far-off “they” think I should be eating.

sollyn23l2

COGypsy wrote: »

Does it really matter what their serving size is, though? I just weigh what I eat and don’t worry so much about what some far-off “they” think I should be eating.

True, I don't know that many people actually look at the serving size. Still interesting to think about though.

AnnPT77

I don't care, because I choose my own portion size based on eating preferences and goals.

The only difference the standard portion size makes is that it requires different values in my personal calorie arithmetic sometimes. Meh.

cwolfman13

I've never really viewed a "serving size" as anything more than a jumping off point basically...like you have to have something there to determine the calories. I'm not really big into the conspiracy stuff or that something nefarious is happening behind the scenes. It's kind of like the whole "hidden sugar" thing...it's not hidden...it's right there on the label.

By law a "standard serving" is based on the amount a typical person might consume, not what is recommended to consume. I don't think anyone is bribing the FDA to increase serving sizes...the FDA is increasing the serving sizes of certain things because it better reflects the reality of what is typically consumed (that's a good thing). I would say that "reality" is largely attributable to the packaging certain foods come in...for example, a standard serving of soda is now 12oz rather than 8oz...but this makes sense to me considering a regular can of soda has been 12oz for the 48 years I've been alive. Leaving the serving size at 8oz IMO would be more disingenuous than increasing it to 12oz, which actually better reflects reality.

Same with ice cream...used to be 1/2 cup was the "standard serving"...who the heck is eating 1/2 cup of ice cream? It's been changed to 2/3 cup...which in reality is probably still too low relative to what people are actually consuming, but it's a better reflection than 1/2 cup.

Corina1143

musicfan68 wrote: »

I've read, and ironically enough, watched a video earlier this morning about this. It is based on what the average person would eat, the caveat is that it was from the '70s. That is why we are seeing things change like a can of pop the serving being 8 oz on a 12 oz can, to reflect the larger portions people are eating now.

I'm old. I remember very well going to the drugstore for a coke. 4 oz. A 4 oz glass filled with ice and coke.

AmberlyMarlene

Recommended portion for the average person

@cwolfman13 I was overall frustrated when creating this poll with myself for being negligent on knowledge, and because not a single person I know was aware of what serving size was based on either. I don't 100% believe that the FDA is being bribed lol but I wouldn't be entirely surprised either. You bring up some good points, and I found your comment insightful. Thank you.

@everyone I do wish nutrition labels were more discussed so more people, including myself, were aware of things like what serving size is based on which is why I'm here to encourage more discussion and to educate myself further. I also think it might be worth introducing more information on nutrition labels that are more health forward.