Learn how to navigate food labels

Look at the nutritional information

If you look at nothing else on the package, look at the nutritional information. Knowing how to read this comes down to quantity and quality. “How much?” and “Of what?”

Foods must list seven food components on their nutritional information panels which includes energy (in both kilojoules and/or kilocalories), protein, total fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrates, sugars and salt. Food manufacturers might decide to voluntarily include other nutrients too, including fibre and calcium.

Nutritional information is usually presented ‘per 100g’ of food so you can easily compare the nutritional content to other similar foods. The ‘per serving’ tells you how much nutrients you are likely to consume in a typical serving of the food.

There is often a percentage Reference Intake (RI) too which is a percentage of the recommended daily intake of nutrients and energy for an adult consuming 2,000 calories per day.

An adult's RI for a day is usually:

Energy: 2,000 kcal (8,400 kJ)
Total fat: 70g
Saturates: 20g
Carbohydrate: 260g
Total sugars: 90g
Protein: 50g
Salt: 6g

These values can vary from person to person, but give a useful indication of how much the average person needs for a healthy, balanced diet.

Did you know?

Some of the healthiest foods don’t have food labels. This includes fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain breads, nuts, lentils, beans, fresh lean meats and fish.

Read the ingredients list

All packaged foods must have an ingredients list on their label. Get into the habit of looking at the ingredients in foods, particularly if it is the first time you are buying the product.

The ingredients are listed in order of weight; the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last. If you find sugar at the top of the list, the food is likely to be high in sugar. Ideally, the first ingredient is a healthful whole food such as a type of nut, legume, fruit, vegetable or wholegrain.

A good rule of thumb is to scan the first three ingredients, as they make up the largest part of what you will be eating. In addition, an ingredients list that is longer than two or three lines or contains words that are difficult to pronounce usually suggests that the product is highly processed.

Did you know?

A recent survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation found that over half of consumers consult the ingredients list or Nutrition Facts panel often or always before making a food purchasing decision.