Nutrition Fact
Serving size, % Daily Value, allergens, and FDA label requirements.
BetterMenu models Nutrition Facts according to FDA labeling standards. Each Nutrition Fact record captures a nutrient's name, measurement unit, amount, and % Daily Value. The platform supports both packaged food labels (full nutrient panel) and restaurant menu disclosures (calorie-only).
What information does a Nutrition Fact contain?
A Nutrition Fact is a structured record about a single nutrient present in a food item. Each record includes four core fields: Name (the nutrient identifier, e.g., "Sodium"), Measurement Unit (grams, milligrams, micrograms, or international units), Amount (the quantity of the nutrient), and % Daily Value (the percentage of the FDA-recommended daily intake based on a 2,000-calorie diet). Some nutrients do not carry a % Daily Value — in those cases the field is absent rather than zero.
The term Nutrition Facts (plural) refers to the complete list of individual Nutrition Fact records associated with a food item.
What additional data appears on packaged food Nutrition Facts labels?
Packaged food Nutrition Facts panels include fields beyond the per-nutrient records. BetterMenu captures these additional fields at the label level:
- Serving Size: The standardized portion used as the basis for all nutrient amounts, typically expressed in grams (g), milliliters (mL), or common household measures.
- Servings Per Container: The total number of servings in the package, enabling per-package nutrient calculations.
- Allergen Information: A declaration of allergens present in the food, required under FALCPA for the nine major allergens.
- Ingredients: An ordered list of ingredients by descending weight. This list differs from a recipe in that it does not include ingredient quantities.
What Nutrition Facts are required on restaurant menus?
Restaurant menu disclosures are more limited than packaged food labels. FDA regulations require chain restaurants with 20 or more US locations to display Calorie information on menus and menu boards (21 CFR 101.11). Detailed per-nutrient Nutrition Facts panels are not required for restaurant menus under current federal rules. BetterMenu represents this distinction by storing a calorie-only disclosure type for menu items, separate from the full Nutrition Facts panel used for packaged foods. Consumer demand and state-level regulations are expanding restaurant disclosure requirements beyond the federal minimum.