What's Inside These MnMs?

You pick up a bag of peanut MnMs on a supermarket shelf and notice the small, green "what's inside" label on the front. You turn over the bag and see a bigger, greener label on the back of the bag. These labels show the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) amounts, which the manufacturer, Mars, has been using since 2008.

Mars is probably the first US company to use the GDA system, which is common in many European countries. GDA provides some of the same information that you find in the "nutrition facts" labeling that the Food and Drug Administration currently requires, but the new system gives key facts in an easier-to-read format.

Part of the GDA system involves the front of the package, where you see total calories and the percentage of the "Daily Value," as well as the unit of measurement. In case of the MnMs, the unit is "per pack," meaning one bag.

The second part of the GDA is the back of the packaging, where you see the unit of measurement at the top. Next, you get the amount and percentage of calories, total fat, saturated fat, sugars, and sodium. Lastly, the bottom of the label tells you the type of diet, adult or child, that the portions are based on.

Consumers seem to be like getting nutrition information through the GDA system and the FDA is looking into using similar labeling. Way to go Mars for being pioneers in food labels!