Taste and personal preferences may be major factors in the selection of the foods we eat. However, there are other factors based on quantities, prices, and the one we’re going to emphasize in this column is food by the numbers.

On most containers of what we hope are incredible edibles should be a special part of the label called “Nutrition Facts.” And here’s where some of the numbers fit in so logically.

This listing of facts starts off with serving size and servings per container. For example, the serving size might show it’s based on three pieces of individually wrapped candy. The servings per container could also be seven. Now, do a little multiplication and the result might be 21 pieces of candy. The key words here are might be. Anyway, here’s a gimmick where numbers can help to determine the approximate contents of the container. Also, this particular number angle can be used to divide the price of the container by the number of the contents to get a better idea of the actual price for each piece.

With Halloween coming up, this method could be used to determine how many bags of candy are needed to take care of the trick-or-treaters.

Now, let’s continue on with this listing of nutritional information. Next are the listings for calories and calories from fat. This is followed with a listing of both total grams and percentage of daily value. As subheads, the next two listings are saturated fat and trans fat. At this point I’ll gladly defer to a dietitian for the explanation as to the benefits and hazards of those two types of fat.

What could be the equivalent of a naughty word, cholesterol, is listed by the total in milligrams and daily value in percentage. The recommended daily value for this part of the food intake, incidentally, is 300 milligrams.

The next item on this listing of nutritional facts or contents is misleading. It’s sodium. My well worn copy of Webster’s New World Dictionary here at the Tribune says sodium is “an alkaline metallic chemical element.” That doesn’t sound vary tasty. Another version of this word is sodium chloride, or what this dictionary defines as common salt. As far as I am concerned, sodium is salt, period. And for folks on restricted diets, the daily salt intake by number of milligrams is something that deserves special attention. Sadly, salt is cheap, allegedly tasty, and all too often used as a major ingredient in all too many food products.

Another interesting aspect of this nutritional information is based on total carbohydrates by both number of grams and percentage of daily value. Again, I’ll gladly defer the explanation of this aspect of what’s called carb counting to the dietitians.

Continuing on, the carb deal is followed by dietary fiber. And like salt (alias sodium), the next item is an ingredient where the number factor by grams is so vital for many people. It’s sugar. Again, sugar is a sweetener, which unfortunately is used all too excessively in so many of the foods and beverages we eat and drink. By the way, check the sugar content of so many of those alleged energy drinks.

To conclude this review of the nutritional information for so many of the foods and beverages we consume, there are four more details worth noting. One is the grams of protein. The second listing is of vitamins, minerals and other vital stuff for the product listed by percentages. Next to last is a listing of daily values for several components like fat, fiber and even sodium (salt) by grams and milligrams. Lastly, is a listing of the ingredients, but not quantities, plus advisories (warnings) regarding possible contact with soy, milk or peanuts during the production process.

To close off, one of my favorite observations regarding these labels is the use of an illustration of raspberries or strawberries or cherries on the label of a flavored beverage and the notation elsewhere on the bottle that the product actually contains zero percent fruit juice. Now there’s a number that makes sense.

Ed Shannon’s column has been appearing in the Tribune every Friday since December 1984.