Know What You Eat

By Anastasia Toufexis

The Goodyear blimp, the Times Square news ticker and baseball scoreboards will all be flashing the same message next week: the label has arrived. Television ads will be urging people to "check it out." In a campaign designed to echo through every supermarket, the U.S. government is touting the new, improved nutrition labels that as of May 8 must appear on most food products.

Gone is the hodgepodge of information in tiny type that seemed to serve foodmakers rather than consumers. In its place is a legible bulletin, developed by the Food and Drug Administration, that actually helps guide Americans on their grocery rounds.

Even so, the format takes a little getting used to. Here, compiled with help from nutritionist Bonnie Liebman of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, are some pointers on how to read the labels and some examples of what they show.