Created to help us make informed choices, food labels and product claims can be confusing. Learning how to read them can help you make healthier choices.
Almost every packaged food has a food label printed or stuck on it. Reading these food labels can help us make heathier choices about what to eat. Labels were meant to make it simple to understand what is in food and help you compare foods. But many of us do not understand what to look for or what they mean.
Information on Food Labels
Food labels generally have the following information:
- Name of the food or description
- Ingredients – listed from highest weight to lowest
- Nutritional values – energy/calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre, sodium, vitamins and minerals
- Weight of the food
- How long the food can be kept – a “use-by” or “best-before” date
- How to store the food
- How to prepare and cook it
- Additional information such as suitability for dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians, or food allergies or intolerances, such as nuts
- Daily guideline amounts
Ingredient Lists
The list reveals the presence of ingredients, the order of ingredients by weight, and can alert you to ingredients you might be allergic to.
When an ingredient is listed first, second, or third, the food probably contains a lot of it. Ingredients mentioned at the end of the list will be contained in the food in smaller amounts.
With this in mind, choose foods that list healthy ingredients first and less healthy ingredients last. For instance, if you were looking for a whole wheat bread, choose one that has whole wheat flour listed first. Limit foods that mention sugar in the first few ingredients. And check the kinds of fat, sources of salt/sodium, and the enrichment of vitamins or minerals.
Serving Size
Always look at the value that the nutritional information is based on. It is usually not based on the contents of the container and portion sizes can vary.
Another way to use serving size is to help you understand how much you are eating. For instance, if a serving size is 6 crackers and you ate 12 then you’ve eaten two portions.
Nutrients
This section lists the amount of each nutrient in the food. For an explanation on what to look for, read our article on Understanding Nutrition Facts on Food Labels.
Product Claims
Nutrition claims used on food packages may point out a key nutrition feature of the food. These claims are defined and regulated by the government but can appear misleading.
For a more complete picture, be sure to look not only at the “whole grains” wording on the packaging but also the ingredient list, fat levels and sugar levels.
Who Decides What is On Our Food Labels?
Food labels are governed by the laws where you live.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (DFA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulate the information on food labels and claims made by companies. In the United Kingdom, the Food Standards Agency regulates foods labels and uses a standard format set by a European Directive. Nutrition claims are approved under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have the regulatory role in Canada.
Examples of Labels
Eat Well Label (United Kingdom)
FDA Nutrition Facts Label (PDF format) (United States)
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