Read It Before You Eat It!
Curious George and the New Food Label
Curious George is always curious about food!  He has lots to tell boys
and girls--and their families--about the new food label.
Read some labels with George.  And have fun as you learn about them
together.
Curious George doesn't monkey around with food!
     Curious George always looks before he eats Breakfast, lunch, or
     tasty treats
     Before it hits the table, He checks out the food label...
     That food info label!
Curious George is a smart monkey!  Labels help him learn about foods he
eats.  Even his favorite foods have labels.  Your favorites do, too.
From milk to marshmallows, labels tell about nutrients in all kinds of
foods.  Curious George wants you to know about nutrients you see on food
labels.
Look at the label for George's favorite treat--Banana Munchie Crunchies.
Find the nutrients:
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Banana Munchie Crunchies
Nutrition Facts
     Serving Size 1 cup (60 g)
     Servings per Container 2
Amount per serving
Calories  210             Calories from Fat  25     % Daily Value*
Total Fat                        3g                       5%
     Saturated Fat               1g                       3%
Cholesterol                      0mg                      0%
Sodium                         270mg                     11%
Total Carbohydrate              42g                      15%
     Dietary Fiber               6g                      24%
     Sugars                     15g
Protein                          4g
Vitamin A             30%
Vitamin C              2%
Calcium                2%
Iron                  30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Unscramble the nutrients you see below.  Like George, you'll know how
nutrients help you grow strong and healthy.
TROYHADRACEB
gives you energy to learn and play.  This nutrient comes from food, such
as bread.  Energy has another name, calories.
TAF
provides calories, too.  George gets most of his calories from
carbohydrate and less from fat.
ROTENIP
builds muscles and helps you grow.
NATMIVIs
keep you skin healthy and hair shiny.  Some help heal your cuts and help
you see in the dark, too.
CLAMUIC
helps grow strong bones and teeth.
ORIN
is an important part of your blood.
MISOUD
helps control fluid, such as perspiration, in your body.
REBIF
helps you digest food.
To stay healthy Curious George needs the right mix of these nutrients
from foods during the day.  So do you!
That's why George checks out food labels.  Then he picks foods for
breakfast, lunch and his favorite treats.
Like Curious George , read it before you eat it.
     George reads the package sides and backs
     To find a food's Nutrition Facts.
     He sees the serving size,
     Then checks on nutrients inside...
     That food info label!
Food labels give George the facts about the servings, calories and
nutrients in food.  All the Nutrition Facts are just for one serving.
Be like Curious George.  Step by step, read the food label on Banana
Munchie Crunchies!  Ask someone to help you.  He or she will learn about
labels with you.
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Banana Munchie Crunchies
Nutrition Facts
     Serving Size 1 cup (60 g)
     Servings per Container 2
Amount per serving
Calories  210           Calories from Fat  25          % Daily Value*
Total Fat                  3g                       5%
     Saturated Fa          1g                       3%
Cholesterol                0mg                      0%
Sodium                   270mg                     11%
Total Carbohydrate        42g                      15%
     Dietary Fiber         6g                      24%
     Sugars               15g
Protein                    4g
Vitamin A             30%
Vitamin C              2%
Calcium                2%
Iron                  30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Find the Serving Size.  How much is one serving?
How many servings does the container have?
Check the Calories.  How many calories does one serving have?
That's how much energy Banana Munchie Crunchies gives.  If you're seven
to ten years old, you need about 2000 calories each day.
Figure it out.  How many calories do two servings have?
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Circle the % Daily Value on the label.  The symbol % means percent, or
part of the whole.  The % Daily Value column makes it easy to see if a
food has a lot or a little of different nutrients such as fat or
calcium.
Here's how.  If the number in this column is 50% it would mean that one
serving would be half the amount of fat for one day.  That's a lot.  For
Banana Munchie Crunchies, the % Daily Value for fat is 5--that's a
little.
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Look at the percent column of the food label.  In one serving how much
of the following nutrients can you find?
Fiber
Vitamin A
Iron
Calcium
Fat
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To learn about percents, George took bites from a slice of bread.  The
whole slice is 100%.  The small bite is 10%, or part, or the whole
slice.  The bite that is 25% is bigger!
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Go label hunting with Curious George.  Follow the maze in the
Monkeyville Food Store to find him.  Look at the food labels along the
way.
Be like Curious George.  Go on a label hunt in the supermarket with
someone in your family.
In each part of the store, check food packages from top to bottom and
side to side.  Find food labels with nutrition facts.
Look for nutrition facts on signs where fresh fruits, vegetables, meat
and fish are sold, too.
What foods did you find in the store with nutrition facts?
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Read the labels at the kitchen table!
     Now join George for some label fun
     With foods you find in your kitchen.
     For favorites on your table,
     Read what's on the label...
     That food info label!
By reading food labels you see that foods aren't the same.  They have
more of some nutrients and less of others.
Hunt for food labels like Curious George does!
     George finds food labels in the store
     On boxes, cans and jars galore.
     Near fresh fruits, veggies, meats,
     The signs give facts on foods he eats...
     That food info label!
Here's another label hint from Curious George:
You may get nutrition facts on your favorite restaurant.  Just ask!
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For more news about nutrition and the new food label, contact:
FDA/USDA Food Labeling Education Information Center
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Blvd.
Room 304
Beltsville, MD  20705-2351
Phone:  301-504-5719
Fax:  301-504-6409
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
14th Street and Independence Ave. SW
Room 1180 South
Washington, DC  20250
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
800-535-4555
USDA Cooperative Extension System
Call the Cooperative Extension Service in your city or county.  You can
find the number in the government pages of your area phone book or by
calling information.  Or use email at agam@esusda.gov.
American Cancer Society
1599 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA  30329
800-ACS-2345
The American Dietetic Association
216 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 800
Chicago, IL  60606-6995
Consumer Nutrition Hot Line
800-366-1655
American Heart Association
7272 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX  75231
Heart Information Service
800-242-8721
American Academy of Pediatrics
Department C, Nutrition
P.O. Box 927
Elk Grove Village, IL  60009-0927
(Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope)
International Food Information Council Foundation
1100 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 430
Washington, DC  20036
Juice Labeling c/o
The Florida Department of Citrus
1115 East Memorial Blvd.
P.O. Box 148
Lakeland, FL  33802
Label Power c/o
The Sugar Association, Inc.
1101 15th Street NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC  20005
202-785-1122
This brochure was funded with support form IronKids.  Additional
resources have been provided by the International Food Information
Council Foundation.
Lessons and activities were created by Roberta L. Duyff, M.S., R.D.,
C.H.E. with contributions from Amy Voorhes for KIDSNET, the nonprofit
clearinghouse for children's media in Washington, DC. For more
information about the services of the clearinghouse write to 6856
Eastern Avenue, NW, Suite 208, Washington, DC  20012
Curious George created by Margret and H.A. Rey, is a registered
trademark of Houghton Mifflin Company and used with permission.
KIDSNET Label Literacy Advisors
Dr. Helen Boehm, VP, Fox Children's Network
Dr. Lillian Change, Director, Harvard Nutrition and Fitness Project,
     Harvard University
Dr. Isobel R. Contento, Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
Connie A. Eskesen, Director for Ohio, National Education Association
Karen Flischel, Sr. VP, Research and Development, Worldwide Nickelodeon
Nancy Glick, Practic Director, Nutrition and Consumer Affairs, Hill and
     Knowlton
Naomi Kulakow, Coordinator, Food Labeling Education, FDA
Sharon Natenblut, Advisor, Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives, FDA
Dr. Frank Palumbo, Pediatrician, Georgetown University, Department of
     Pediatrics
Sylvia Rowe, President, International Food Information Council
     Foundation
Dr. Sarah E. Samuels, Health Program & Policy Consultant
Lisa Tate, VP for Public Affairs, National Association of Children's
     Hospital and Related Institutions, Inc.
Dr. Elizabeth Tuckermanty, Ph.D., R.D., National Program Leader,
     Nutrition, USDA