5 key points to check on nutrition food labels for healthy eating

It’s time to talk about how to read nutrition food labels on food packagings. It is a very useful skill to have if you are interested in healthy eating and following the nutrition recommendations. Also, if you are currently paying attention to your weight, food labels can really help you with making smart choices at the grocery store!

Food labelling in chain cafes and restaurants is not mandatory in the UK for now. However, last year, the poll from Diabetes UK showed that 76% of adults support the idea of nutrition labelling at cafes and restaurant and 75% have a similar opinion regarding takeaway food .

The two main types of nutrient labels you will run into (click here to skip the intro):

• Back-of-the-pack nutrient label ^, : In the UK it is mandatory to include this label. The nutrient information you will find must include (per 100 gr/100 ml and per portion):

1. Energy in KiloJouls (KJ) and in Kilocalories (Kcal). (1 KJ= 4.184 J)
2. Protein (g)
3. Total fats (g) and saturated fats (g)
4. Salt (g). 1 g salt= 400 mg sodium
5. Carbodhydrates (g): Probably the most confusing part of a nutrient label. In the UK, the amount of carbohydrates includes sugars and starch. When fibre is labelled, it is labelled separately and we don’t need to calculate “net carbs”. In the United States, food labels include fibre in total carbohydrates . The definition of sugars is also slighty different in the US, so click here for more information!
6. Sugars refer to dietary carbohydrates that iclude mono-, di- and oligosaccharides . On UK food labels, sugars include those naturally found in foods (in milk, plain yogurt, fruit and vegetables) and “free sugars”, which are added by manufacturers .

You need to remember is that sugars on the front label still include both natural and added sugars! That is important because the RI for total sugars is 90g/day, it is advised not to eat more than 30g of free sugars per day (5% of total energy intake)

Back of the pack labels could also include fibre (g), mono/polyunsaturated fats, sugar alcohols and vitamins/minerals present in considerable amounts .

• Front of the pack nutrient label: Adding this label is not mandatory. It includes only Energy (kcal) or Energy, total fats, saturated fats, total sugars and salt/ portion or per 100 ml/100g . It is recommended to be presented with the “traffic light system” . The label also includes the precentage of the recommended intake (RI) per day you consume with a portion (or 100 gr) of product.

1. Green means the amount of the specific nutrient per portion is low comparing to the RI.
2. Yellow means the amount of the nutrient is average comparing to the RI.
3. Red means the nutrient amount is close to the total daily RI (the amount of this nutrient is high).

What you need to remember is that sugars on the front label still include both natural and added sugars! That is important because the RI for total sugars is 90g/day. However, the guidelines advise to eat less than 30g of free sugars per day (5% of total energy intake) .

If the above information is clear…

The 5 key points on food labels

No1: Use the back-of-the-pack labels to compare nutrient values between products

If you are trying to choose between different brands of the same type of product, it’s better to use the back of the pack labels to compare energy and nutrient values. That’s because back-of-the-pack labels always present nutrient values per 100gr or ml.

Front of the back labels sometimes present nutrient values for different portion sizes! Also, sometimes a brand could use the front label to present nutrient values per teaspoon or tablespoon, while another brand grams presents values of specific grams of product. That could be even more confusing.

No 2: The greener the better!

If the front label is mostly green or green with one yellow box, these options are most likely appropriate for a balanced diet.

Remember, each food is different! With naturally unprocessed foods, like ucooked butter beans, all sugars are natural as well. When we have processed snacks, most likely part of the sugars will be added sugars:

Especially regarding processed food, looking out for a green sugar label could be beneficial to our health, since excess added sugar consumption could be associated with various health problems. Click here to check the igredient lists for added sugars!

No 3: Use the nutrition claims to control added sugar & salt intake

• No added sugar: If you see this claim, then you know that the product contains only natural sugars. This claim is not the same as “sugar free” or low sugar.

Sodium/salt claims on food labels

An adequate of salt already naturally exists in our foods, so exceeding the RI (6g/day) can be very easy! Choosing snacks or sauces without added salt or with low salt could help with controlling your salt intake.

No added sodium/salt	≤0.12g sodium/100g or ml & there is no added sodium or added ingredients with salt/sodium
Low sodium/salt	≤0.12g sodium/100g or ml
Very low sodium/salt	≤0.04g sodium/100g
Sodium/salt free	≤0.005g sodium/100g

No 4: Use the nutrition claims to improve fibre and vitamin D intake ^,

• High fibre: The product contains at least 6 g of fibre per 100 g or at least 3 g of fibre per 100 kcal.
• Also “Source of fibre”: At least 3g/ 100 gr or 1.5 g/ 100 kcal.
• Adequate fibre consumption has numerous potential benefits for our health and consuming 30g/day is recommended.

Source of vitamin D: at least 15% of the RI/100g

No 5: If you are trying to lose weight, check the fat and energy content of low sugar/ sugar free products

If a product is sugar free (≤ 0.5g/100gr or ml) or low in sugars (≤ 5g/100gr for solids or <2.5g/100ml for liquids), it does not nessecarily mean its energy content is very low as well. Sometimes more fat is added to improve flavour. It’s a good idea to compare fat and energy contents per 100gr between the low sugar product and its regular counterpart to see if the energy difference is worth sacrificing the taste!

Extra points to keep in mind about food labels

• GMO and GM ingredients must be labelled, but food produced with GMO technology does not. Also, if milk and eggs come from animals that have been fed with GM foods that does not have to be labelled either .

• If you see a pre- packaged food labelled as organic, that means at least 95% of the ingredients are organic .
• Potential allegrens must be declared in the ingredients list and are usually highlighted in a in a different font or in bold .
• The above nutrition labelling regulations do not apply to nutrition supplements and mineral water .

I hope you will find nutrition labelling easier and more entertaining now!

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References