Portion Sizes

Portion size, also called serving size, refers to the amount of a food item that is consumed in a single eating occasion. The concept of portion size has relevance to several aspects of nutrition and public health. Public health education about food and nutrition defines and relies on standardized portion sizes for educating the public about recommended quantities of foods to consume from the different food groups. Portion size is also an important aspect of product labeling for prepared and packaged foods. Nutrient content information for a product is based on the portion size (referred to as “serving size” on labels) provided on the label and is regulated closely. Portion sizes in restaurant dining are not regulated; however, there have been recent policy efforts to ...