How to Read a Food Label

Reading food labels is a useful skill for weight loss and it's simple to master. There are three components to a food label you need to be aware of; its nutrition claims, ingredients list and nutrition information panel:

1. Nutrition Claims

Manufacturers use nutritional claims on their packaging to encourage us to buy their products. These need to be factual by law but they can still be quite misleading unless you read the whole label. Here are a few examples:

Lite/Light – does not necessarily refer to the fat content, it can refer to the colour, taste or texture
Reduced/Lower/Less Fat – product may still be high in fat but lower in fat than its competitors’ products
90% Fat Free – contains 10% fat
No Added Sugar – may be high in calories due to natural sugars or fats
Cholesterol Free – May contain saturated fats which can increase your blood cholesterol levels

2. Ingredients List

Ingredients must be listed from largest to smallest by ingoing weight, therefore it makes sense to avoid products that contain fat or sugar at the top of the list.

A trick that manufactures to disguise the presence of fat, sugar and salt is to call them different names. Here are a few common examples:

Fat – vegetable oil, shortening, dripping, coconut oil, milk solids, monoglycerides
Sugar – glucose, dextrose, lactose, fructose, glucose syrup, sorbitol, xulitol
Salt – sodium, Na, MSG, sodium phosphate, vegetable salt, sea salt

3. Nutrition Information Panel

This is the best source of nutritional information on a food label. The Nutrition Information Panel lists the amount of protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar and sodium in a product. It also lists any nutrient referred to in the product’s nutrition claim.

First, look at the total amount of energy and fat in the product. Compare the serve size recommended to the amount you would consume. It can be deceptive!

Nutrition information is provided for two measures of the product: per 100g and per serve. The ‘per 100g’ column is very useful as it allows you to compare different products and calculate the percentage of fat that they contain (for tips on what to look for see our article How to Make Healthy Choices at the Supermarket).

Next time you visit the supermarket practice reading food labels. You may be shocked by the fat and sugar content of some of your favourite products - and then pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find alternatives that are lower in fat and sugar.