Serving size
{{short description|Amount of a food or drink that is typically served}}
{{other uses|Serving (disambiguation)}}
File:Bowl of toasted cereal.jpg cereal is considered to be a single serving of grains by the United States Department of Agriculture]]
A serving size or portion size is the amount of a food or drink that is generally served.
A distinction is made between a portion size as determined by an external agent, such as a food manufacturer, chef, or restaurant, and a "self selected portion size" in which an individual has control over the portion in a meal or snack.{{cite journal |last1=Brunstrom |first1=J. M. |title=Mind over platter: pre-meal planning and the control of meal size in humans |journal=International Journal of Obesity |date=2014 |volume=38 |issue=Suppl 1 |pages=S9–12 |doi=10.1038/ijo.2014.83 |pmid=25033963 |pmc=4105578}} Self-selected portion size is determined by several factors such as the palatability of a food and the extent to which it is expected to reduce hunger and to generate fullness.
Measurement
File:ASC Leiden - Coutinho Collection - 15 09 - Life in Campada, Guinea-Bissau - 1973.tif , 1974.]]
Bulk products, such as sugar, generally have sizes in common units of measurement, such as the cup or tablespoon. Commonly divided products, such as pie or cake, have a serving size given in a fraction of the whole product (e.g. 1/8 cake). Products which are sliced beforehand or are bought in distinct, grouped units (e.g. olives), are listed in the approximate number of units corresponding to the reference amount. For example, if the reference amount for olives were 30 g, and one olive weighed 10 g, the serving size would probably be listed as "3 olives".
Health effects
In 2017, in the U.K. and Netherlands in particular, it was not clear if controlling the serving size (called "portion control") was an effective way to change the amount of food or drink that people consume.{{cite journal|last1=Steenhuis|first1=I|last2=Poelman|first2=M|title=Portion Size: Latest Developments and Interventions.|journal=Current Obesity Reports|date=March 2017|volume=6|issue=1|pages=10–17|doi=10.1007/s13679-017-0239-x|pmid=28265869|pmc=5359369}} However evidence from a systematic review of 72 randomized controlled trials indicates that people consistently eat more food when offered larger portion, package, or tableware sizes rather than smaller size alternatives.{{cite journal |last1=Hollands |first1=GJ |last2=Shemilt |first2=I |last3=Marteau |first3=TM |last4=Jebb |first4=SA |last5= Lewis |first5=HB |last6=Wei |first6=Y |last7=Higgins |first7=JPT |last8=Ogilvie |first8=D |display-authors=6 |title=Portion, package or tableware size for changing selection and consumption of food, alcohol and tobacco |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD011045.pub2 |pmid= 26368271|pmc= 4579823|journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |department=Cochrane Public Health Group |issue=9 |pages=CD011045 |date=September 14, 2015 |volume=2018 }}{{Open access}}
United States
File:USDA Eat Healthy Food Group Gallery serving size half cup (125mL) of fruit cocktail.jpg]]
Serving sizes are found on both the Food Pyramid and its successor program MyPlate as well as nutrition labels, and has two related but differing meanings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.choosemyplate.gov/|title=MyPlate {{!}} ChooseMyPlate|website=www.choosemyplate.gov|access-date=2020-04-22}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.center4research.org/myplate-new-alternative-food-pyramid/|title=MyPlate: A New Alternative to the Food Pyramid|date=2016-06-13|website=National Center for Health Research|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-22}} The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion sets the standards for My Plate and related guidelines. The FDA defines the "Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed" (RACC) tables used by food manufacturers to determine the serving size on the Nutrition Facts Panel, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services labels.{{cite web |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.12 |title=Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 |publisher=FDA}} Alcoholic beverages above 0.5% ABV are regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) not the FDA and are allowed different serving sizes than FDA's RACC tables.{{cite web |title=TTB Ruling 2013-2: Voluntary Nutrient Content Statements in the Labeling and Advertising of Wines, Distilled Spirits, and Malt Beverages |url=https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/rulings/2013-2.pdf |publisher=Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau |date=2013-09-12 |access-date=22 May 2025}}
The nutrition facts label is designed to give consumers important nutritional information about a product and allow comparisons with other food. The serving size indicates the amount of food for which the nutrition information is shown. RACCs were established by regulation in 1993 in response to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act and were based on how much food people typically eat, balanced with desired portion size. Ice cream is the classic example where the RACC is 1/2 cup, but people more often consume more.{{Cite web|url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030914054541/http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?FR=101.12|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2003|title=CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21|website=www.accessdata.fda.gov|access-date=2020-04-02}}
From 1996 to 2016, there was an increase in the serving sizes of food. For example, in 2016 the average muffin in America is 130 grams, but 20 years before the serving size was 85 grams.{{Cite news|last1=Wilson|first1=Bee|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/25/problem-portions-eating-too-much-food-control-cutting-down|title=Our gigantic problem with portions: why are we all eating too much?|date=2016-04-25|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-02|last2=Rayner|first2=Jay|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|last3=Ray|first3=Tamal|last4=Erskine|first4=Gizzi}} Another example is the bagel, for which the diameter and calories have both doubled over the same 20 years. Other foods that have doubled in calories include American staples of spaghetti with meatballs and cheeseburgers. Furthermore, a serving of French fries and a can of soda tripled their calories and serving size.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yourweightmatters.org/portion-sizes-changed-time/|title=How Portion Sizes Have Changed Throughout History|date=2016-04-28|website=Your Weight Matters|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-02}} Between 1960 and 2000, the size of bagels and muffins doubled.{{Cite book|title=The Portion Teller: Smartisze Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss |last=Young|first=Lisa R.|publisher=Morgan Road Books|isbn=0767920686|location=United States of America|date=2005-05-31|page=9}} As food portions increased over time, "unit bias" has also increased. This means that people think that a portion size equals one serving size of a food or meal.{{Cite news|last1=Wilson|first1=Bee|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/25/problem-portions-eating-too-much-food-control-cutting-down|title=Our gigantic problem with portions: why are we all eating too much?|date=2016-04-25|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-02|last2=Rayner|first2=Jay|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|last3=Ray|first3=Tamal|last4=Erskine|first4=Gizzi}} This idea of "unit bias" is important in restaurants because customers often think that what they are being served is one serving of a food group or meal, but it may be way more than originally thought.
The United States FDA recommends in their "2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines" that an American adult eating 2,000 calories a day should be consuming 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 6 ounces of grain, 3 cups of dairy, 5.5 ounces of protein, and 27 grams of oils every day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/current-dietary-guidelines/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines|title=2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines {{!}} Dietary Guidelines for Americans|website=www.dietaryguidelines.gov|access-date=2020-04-02}}