Nutrition For Mortals "Dishing" About Serving Sizes
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Mar 22, 2023 They dig into how serving sizes are determined and why those numbers are not dietary recommendations. They trace the history of labels and the surveys that produced RACCs. They poke fun at tiny, absurd serving sizes with a guessing game and comedy references. They explore problems with self-reported data and suggest clearer ways labels could communicate amounts.
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Serving Sizes Aren't Recommendations
- The FDA says serving sizes are based on how much people actually consume, not what they should eat.
- Serving sizes therefore describe customary intake, not dietary recommendations.
RACCs Drive The Numbers
- The FDA uses RACCs (Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed) to set serving sizes.
- RACCs come from large government surveys that estimate typical intake amounts.
NHANES Replaced Older Surveys
- In 2016 the FDA switched to NHANES data to update serving sizes.
- NHANES collects detailed interviews plus physical exams, but intake amounts still rely on self-reported recalls.