Chemistry

Every day in the news, it is reported that childhood obesity is a growing problem. Many doctors have linked children’s weight gain to the drinking of juice instead of milk and water. Most parent feel good about giving their children 100% juice with no sugar added, thinking it is nutritious. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes that children need very few calories per day and the sweet drinks, like apple juice, are a source of added sugar in their diet. In response to dietary concerns, the Food and Drug Administration requires food labels listing the amount of sugar for apple juice. Are the labels on apple juice correct? This topic is important because it affects all children who enjoy drinking apple juice.

In the last 30 years, children have increased the amount of juice they drink because of convenience and advertisements. Sweetened drinks are preferred over unsweetened drinks by children and almost all children by one year of age are drinking fruit juice. Children in one study drank on average 5.5 fluid ounces of juice per day. The juice that 35% of kids prefer is apple juice. This study also showed that children who drank more juice had higher intakes of fruit sugars, fructose and glucose. The result of the study did show a relationship between drinking apple juice and a child’s weight through the BMI, body mass index. The body mass index is the relationship between a person’s height and their weight.

Since children do like sweet drinks like fruit juice, it is important that parents read the food labels to decide what is good for their children to drink. The Nutrition Facts food label gives information about the nutrients in food. Most nutrients are measured in grams, shown as g. Other information is shown as percentages. The percentages are based on a 2000 calorie diet. The following is the information that is on all food labels.

Serving Size – a specified amount of food, for apple juice this is 8 fluid ounces

Servings per Container – the number of servings in the bottle or can

Calories or Calories from Fat – The number of calories in a single serving, for 8 ounces of apple juice this is 120 calories

Percent Daily Value – This is the percentage of the recommended daily allowance for several nutrients. Apple juice labels show Total Fat – 0g, 0%; Sodium – 25mg, 1%; Potassium - 280mg, 8%; Total Carbs - 29g, 10% of that Sugars are 26g; Protein – 0g; Vitamin C 120% and Iron 2%

It should be noted that the information on the labels are based on an adult’s needs not a child’s.

These food labels are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA inspects all food suppliers to assure the labels are correct. As a result, scientists must have ways to measure all the information