The math it took to calculate the number of calories in your favorite snack involved a lot more guesstimation than you may think.
The Food and Drug Administration began requiring standardized nutrition labeling — including the number of calories per serving — on most packaged foods in 1990. Obesity rates skyrocketed in the United States over the next few decades, spurring a 2016 change to the rule to list calorie counts on nutrition labels in a large, bold font.
Just how accurate are these calorie counts?
The popular protein bar brand David is currently fighting a lawsuit alleging the company’s bars contain nearly twice as many calories as the labels claim, based on independent testing. The company’s founder said the lawsuit used an incorrect testing method to measure calories, and that the fat substitute the company uses in the protein bars does not contain as many calories as true fat does (about 9
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