Food Labels

Need help working out if a food product is a good choice? Here are some tips: The Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) Most foods with packaging will have a NIP. You can use the panel to compare similar foods and drinks. The panel may have more nutrients listed if the food is making a nutrient claim.

This is the suggested serve size. It may not be how much you eat This is the total of all fat including saturated fat This is the total of both sugar and starch Look for products with the most fibre per 100g Energy Protein Fat - total - saturated Carbohydrate - total - sugars Dietary Fibre Sodium

Product Name
per 30 g serve 467 kJ 112 (cal) 2.6g 0.3g 0.1 24.1g 4.1g 2.8g 2mg per 100g 1555 kJ 372 (cal) 8.6g 1.1g 0.4g 80.5g 13.7g 9.4g 8mg

Use the 100g column to compare similar foods

Look for products with less than 10g of fat per 100g and the lowest saturated fat Choose products with less than 10g sugar per 100g. Foods with fruit or milk may have higher sugar levels but check the ingredient list Look for products with less than 120mg sodium per 100g
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Ingredients: Whole wheat, fruit paste (25%), (dried dates, sultanas, pear juice concentrate, glycerol, blackcurrant juice concentrate), sugar, vitamins, (niacin, riboflavin, thiamine).

Ingredients are listed from the most to the least

Community Nutrition Unit

Department of Health and Human Services

www.dhhs.tas.gov.au
SOURCE: Appetite for Life Manual (Nutrition for Older People) REVIEWED: November 2006

Look at the Ingredient List The ingredient list can tell you why a food is high in a nutrient e.g. sugar or fat. Ingredients are listed from most to least in quantity. If you are trying to limit your intake of fat, sugar or salt, look for the other names of these ingredients.
FAT beef fat coconut coconut oil copha cream dripping lard mayonnaise milk solids nuts oil oven fried/baked palm oil sour cream toasted SUGAR brown sugar corn syrup dextrose disaccharides fructose glucose golden syrup honey lactose malt maltose mannitol maple syrup molasses monosaccharides raw sugar sorbitol sucrose xylitol SALT baking powder booster celery salt garlic salt meat/yeast extract sodium monosodium glutamate MSG sodium bicarbonate sodium metabisulphate rock salt sea salt sodium nitrate/nitrite stock cubes

Check the date use-by food should not be eaten after this date as it may not be safe. best-before food can be eaten after this date but it may not be as good quality. Foods that last longer than 2 years may not have a date, eg canned foods.
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Community Nutrition Unit

Department of Health and Human Services

www.dhhs.tas.gov.au
SOURCE: Appetite for Life Manual (Nutrition for Older People) REVIEWED: November 2006

Food Labels - Nutrient Claims

There are a variety of nutrition claims on food packets. These can help you make choices about the food you are buying. But it still pays to read the nutrition information panel.
Nutrition Claim Low fat Fat free Reduced fat Cholesterol free Toasted or oven baked Lite or light What does it mean? Must have less than 3g fat per 100g. A good choice. Has no more than 0.15g fat per 100g food. Has at least 25% less fat than the original food. May still be high in fat. Check the label. This food is low in cholesterol but it may still be high in fat. It is best to check the label. This food is likely to have been cooked in oil or fat and may be high in fat. It is best to check the label. May refer to fat, sugar, salt, flavour, texture or colour. The label should tell you what in the food is light. Read the label carefully. Must have no more than 120mg sodium per 100g. A good choice. No extra salt has been added. Has at least 25% less salt than the original food. May still be high in salt. Check the label. No extra sugar has been added, but the food may still have a large amount of natural sugar. Must have no more than 0.2g of sugar per 100g. The food or drink must have no added sugar or artificial sweetener. Usually artificially sweetened and low in energy. Must have more than 3g fibre per serve of food. Must have more than 6g fibre per serve of food. Foods with the tick are better choices amongst similar types of food. They meet guidelines for total fat, type of fat, salt, sugar and/or fibre. But not all companies use the tick even though some of their foods may qualify, so read labels well.

Low salt/sodium No added salt Reduced salt No added sugar Sugar free Unsweetened Low joule or low calorie High fibre Very high fibre National Heart Foundation tick

Community Nutrition Unit

Department of Health and Human Services

www.dhhs.tas.gov.au
SOURCE: Appetite for Life Manual (Nutrition for Older People) REVIEWED: November 2006