How to read food labels, part 2

Hi everyone! We’re back with part 2 of how to read food labels. You can find part one here, where I went into understanding an ingredients list and the traffic light system. In this post, I’ll be covering the back of pack nutrition table, and food claims like ‘high in fibre’.

So, let’s dive right in!

Nutritional information table: 

I’ll be honest, the nutrition table on the back is the first thing I look at when buying a new food product. I think it’s the dietitian in me!

The table has to provide the nutritional contents of the product per 100g/100ml. It can also provide it per serving/portion, but this isn’t compulsory. The table will show: the energy in kilojoules and kilocalories. And then fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt in grams. These are legally required. Any other nutrients are optional to include.

It will generally look like this:

Typical values	Per 100g	Per serving (120g)
Energy	84kcal	100kcal
	351kJ	421kJ
Fat	2.5g	3.3g
Of which saturates	1.9g	2.3g
Carbohydrate	11g	14g
Of which sugars	10.5g	13.6g
Protein	3.4g	4g
Salt	0.1	0.1g

Reference intakes: 

The information in the table is also often compared to the reference intakes. Reference intakes are guidelines for the approximate amount of different nutrients that we need for a healthy diet.

Here’s a copy of the daily reference intakes:

• Energy – 2000kcal/8400kJ a day
• Carbohydrates – 260g a day
• Sugar – 90g (government guidance states that added sugar should be no more than 30g a day)
• Fat – 70g a day
• Saturated fat – 20g a day
• Protein – 50g a day
• Salt –6g a day
• Fibre – 30g a day

These are based on the average person with an energy intake of 2000 calories a day.

The nutrition table on the back of the pack may show the quantity of each nutrient in the product as a percentage of the reference intakes (RI). So, for example, the RI for carbohydrates is 260g a day. If a product has 26g of carbohydrates per 100g, it could say it is 10% of your RI for carbohydrates.

Here’s what it may look like in the table:

Typical values	Per 100g	Per serving	%RI
Carbohydrate	26g	14g	10%

Some top tips for reading the nutritional information table: 

• 
  The quantity of sugar displayed in the table doesn’t differentiate between added sugar and naturally occurring sugars. It’s worth looking at the ingredients list to see if sugar is added.
• The carbohydrate amount will also include fibre. Fibre is a form of carbohydrate that isn’t digested by the body. Some people that are closely monitoring their nutrient intake may subtract the amount of fibre from the carbohydrate in order to work out how many grams of digestible carbohydrates are in the product.
• Remember that the nutrition information is presented per 100g (and maybe per serving) and this may not be the quantity you eat. So, you may be consuming more or less nutrients than what is displayed.

Now we’ve covered the nutritional information table, we can look at some other claims you may see explained on the back of the pack.

Nutrient claims: 

There are many nutrition claims a product can make, these are regulated by law and have to meet certain definitions. There are lots of approved claims, so I’ll touch on the ones you're more likely to encounter in your regular shopping. I’ve got a handy table for you to refer back to:

Claim	Meaning
Organic	At least 95% of the farm grown ingredients are organic. Organic meaning the farming avoids the use of manmade fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators, and additives. It’s important to note that organic farming doesn’t mean pesticide or fertiliser free, as there are approved products that can still be used.
High in fibre	The product must contain at least 6g of fibre per 100g or 3g of fibre per 100 calories.
Source of fibre	The product must contain at least 3g of fibre per 100g or 1.5g of fibre per 100 calories.
Low fat	The product contains no more than 3g of fat per 100g or 1.5g per 100ml.
Fat free	The product contains no more than 0.5g of fat per 100g or 100ml.
Low saturated fat	The food must not have more than 1.5g of saturated fat per 100g or 0.75g per 100ml. Also, the total saturated fats and trans-fat can’t provide more than 10% of the products energy.
Sugar free	The product has no more than 0.5g of sugars per 100g or 100ml.
With no added sugar	The product contains no added sugars such as sucrose, glucose or fructose and no other food used for sweetening purposes. If the food contains naturally occurring sugars, this must be clearly stated as naturally occurring.
Low sugars	The product has no more than 5g of sugar per 100g or 2.5g per 100ml.
Low sodium/salt	The product has no more than 0.12g of sodium or 0.3g of salt per 100g or 100ml
No added sodium/salt	The product has no added sodium or salt, no ingredients containing added sodium or salt or no more than 0.005g of sodium per 100g.
Source of protein	A food can have this claim when at least 12% of the energy (calories) comes from protein.
High in protein	A product can have this claim when at least 20% of the energy (calories) comes from protein
Source of vitamin/mineral	The product must contain at least 15% of the reference intake for the vitamin or mineral. E.g. if a yoghurt says source of calcium it must contain at least 120mg of calcium, as this is 15% of 800mg – the daily reference intake for calcium.
High in vitamin/mineral	The product must contain at least 30% of the reference intake for said vitamin or mineral,
Reduced nutrient e.g., reduced fat or light/lite	A product that has at least 30% less of that nutrient when compared to similar product. For example, you may find crisps that say reduced fat and so they’ll have at least 30% less fat compared to regular crisps.

Health claims:

Some nutrients are allowed more specific health claims if they're in certain quantities in food.

Here’s a quick table of some of the more common ones you're likely to see:

Nutrient/s	Health claim/s	Conditions of the claim
Beta glucans (found in products like oats)	Beta-glucans contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels	The claim may be used only for food which contains at least 1g of beta-glucans from oats, oat bran, barley, or barley bran per quantified portion. In order to have the claim it also must state that beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3g of beta-glucans.
Biotin (vitamin B7)	Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair/skin Biotin contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.	Product must be a source of biotin, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Calcium	Calcium contributes to normal muscle function. Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones/teeth. Calcium contributes to normal blood clotting.	Product must be a source of calcium, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Folate (vitamin B9)	Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.	Product must be a source of folate, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Iron, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin C	Nutrient contributes to the normal function of the immune system.	Product must be a source of nutrient, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Linoleic acid	Linoleic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels	The food must provide at least 1.5g of linoleic acid (LA) per 100 g and per 100 kcal. It should also state that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 10g of LA.
Magnesium, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2), Niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) vitamin B12, vitamin C	Nutrient contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Nutrient contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism.	Product must be a source of nutrient, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Vitamin C	Vitamin C increases iron absorption	Product must be a source of vitamin C, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Vitamin D	Vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function. Vitamin D is needed for the maintenance of normal bones/teeth.	Product must be a source of vitamin D, i.e., contain at least 15% of the daily reference intake
Protein	Protein supports the growth and maintenance of muscle mass	A food can have this claim when at least 12% of the energy (calories) comes from protein

There are hundreds of approved claims for all sorts of nutrients. If you want to see them all you can find in the reference list at the bottom!

Other claims that are used to describe products tend to be marketing claims in order to sell it to you, and don’t have any meaning. This includes terms like ‘energising and ‘superfood’.

There’s a lot to know when it comes to food labelling, so I tried to include things you’re most likely to see. If you want more information, I’ve got lots of great references below.

I hope this post has given you lots helpful information and you can feel more confident when looking at food labels.

Key points:

• The nutritional information table will provide information on the following nutrients: energy, carbohydrates, sugar fat, saturated fat, protein, and salt per 100g or 100ml of the product.
• The information in the nutrition table may be compared to the reference intakes. These are recommended amounts of each nutrient that should be enough for the average person.
• There are lots of regulations that must be followed if a food packaging wants to make a nutrition claim. Claims like ‘low fat’ or ‘high in fibre’ must meet certain rules.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

Bye for now! 👋

 

References:

https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/labelling-and-nutrition/nutrition-and-health-claims/nutrition-claims_en

https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/nutrition-health-claims-and-supplement-labelling

https://www.pan-uk.org/organic/

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/eight-tips-for-healthy-eating/

http://www.foodlabel.org.uk/label/reference-intakes.aspx

Health claims: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register