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A Lesson in Label Lingo
By Kylie Andrew (Dietitian)
Do you spend hours in the supermarket, assessing all the choices, trying to select a “healthy” option? Food labels are a wealth of information, but if you don’t understand the label lingo it can be very confusing.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is the authority responsible for developing food standards for the composition and labeling of foods. One of their main aims is to ensure there is adequate information relating to food to allow shoppers to make informed choices.
There are some key pieces of information to look for on a label:
1. The Nutrition Information Panel
The Nutrition Information Panel must be on almost all products and follows a standard format. It must include energy (kilojoules), protein, fat (total & saturated fat), carbohydrate (total & sugar), sodium and any other nutrients for which a claim has been made. Values are listed as per serve (useful to assess your daily intake of a nutrient) and per 100g (to compare similar products)
2. Ingredient List
Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight or quantity. This means that the first ingredient listed is present in the food in the largest amount. If fat or a source of fat is near the top of the list, you can assume that there is a high proportion of fat in the food. The ingredient list must also include the exact proportion of the key ingredient, for example 97% whole wheat in weet-bix.
3. Nutrient Claims
Manufacturers are allowed to make claims about the nutritional value of their products; however there are guidelines that have been developed by FSANZ. Here’s what some of the common claims mean:
- ‘Reduced fat’ – 25% less fat than the regular product AND 3g less fat/100g
- ‘Low fat’ – less than 3g fat/100g
- ‘No fat’ – less than 1g fat/100g
- ‘Cholesterol free’ – less than 3mg cholesterol/100g AND must be low in fat OR saturated fat
- ‘Lite’ OR ‘Light’ – no criteria
- ‘Low Joule’ & ‘Diet’ – artificially sweetened and low in fat
- ‘High fibre’ - more than 3g fibre per serve
- ‘No added sugar’ – no added sucrose
- ‘No added salt’ - salt has not been added
- 97% fat free - 3% fat or 3g fat/100g product
- The Tick - National Heart Foundation approval
- Meets their guidelines for a low saturated fat, salt and sugar content, and high fibre content for that category of food