Guide to Reading Food Labels

Food labels can be a little confusing if you don’t know what to look for. So we will help you understand what information is important.

Nutrition on Food Labels

Nutrition information panels vary from country to country. This is an example of one that you would find in Australia. It contains values for energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates and sugars. Other nutrients such as fibre or calcium are included when a nutritional claim is made (e.g. ‘good source of fibre’).

Looking at the serving size column will tell you how much of the nutrients you will consume for a serving size. But beware, manufacturers sometimes use serving sizes that are lower than what you would actually eat, so it is always important to check the serving size and the number of servings in a packet. To compare two products, look at the per 100g column for both products to see the differences. The below image is a guide of what to look for when you are looking at these components. For example, when looking at saturated fat, look for the product with the lowest amount – ideally <3g per 100g.

Ingredients on Food Labels

The ingredients list lists foods in order of weight from the largest weight to the lowest weight. If types of sugar or saturated fat are listed as one of the first three ingredients on a product, then it is probably not a healthy choice. Products must also list the presence of any allergens in the product such as milk, nuts, egg and soy.

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Looking at the labels for the two products below, it is easy to compare the amounts of total energy, saturated fat and sugars. Which product would be the best choice?

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Regional Food Label Guides

Some countries have additional guides on packaging to assist in making healthier choices. The United Kingdom has introduced a traffic light system (green, amber and red) which rates the amount of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a product. Similarly, in Australia a Health Star rating has been introduced. Ratings range from ½ star to 5 stars (the more stars the better). The rating is based on energy, saturated fat, sugars and sodium. The content of fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes is also considered as well as beneficial nutrients such as fibre or protein. Both the UK and Australian systems are voluntary, so manufacturers are not required to have a rating on their products.

Optional discussion:

Locate a food from your country marketed to children 0-5 that contains an unsafe or unhealthy ingredient and discuss the following questions:

• How is this food marketed to young children?
• What is listed on the label that is unhealthy for young children?