There are a lot of information on food package. If we know how to interpret the information on the package, it helps the people who are having medical nutrition therapy to decide an appropriate diet plan. However, how to read the food label?
First of all, check the ingredient list. The ingredients in the list are in descending order. Suggest choosing the food with fat, sugar or salt comparatively found latter in the list. By checking the top 3 ingredients in the list, we can have a general idea about the health rating of the product. Also, please check if the products have the following ingredients which may cause potential health risks.
Palm oil: It is high in saturated fat which can increase risk of cardiovascular diseases if consumed in long-term. However, some food manufacturers avoid listing palm oil directly in the list but state “vegetable oil” instead. Thus, consumers need to be careful in making a choice, especially biscuits, chips and instant noodle usually made with palm oil.
Shortening/hydrogenated oil: These oils contain trans fat. Trans fat increase “bad” cholesterol level and hence the risk of heart disease. Although it may show “zero” in the nutrition fact panel, it does not mean this product does not contain any trans fat. From the regulation, the product with less than 0.3g trans fat per 100g of products, they can show “0” in the panel.
Wheat flour: Many people misunderstand wheat product must be high fiber. The flour which is high fiber is called wholewheat /wholemeal flour.
Step 1
Check if the nutrition information was listed based on per serving or 100g.
For example, a 250ml drink uses per 100ml to list the nutrition information. Then, we need to multiply the information by 2.5 if you want to know the nutrients that you have consumed after finished the whole box.
If it shows “Per serving” and “100g/100ml” at the same time:
- When we compared same type of products with different brands, we should use 100g or 100ml.
- When we want to calculate how many nutrients have we consumed after having certain servings, we calculate based on “per serving”.
Step 2
Read the 1+7 information
What does 1+7 mean?
1: Energy,
can express in “kcal” or “kJ”, if listed as kJ, then needs to divide by 4.2 to find the equivalent value in kcal.
7: Includes the following nutrients:
1. Protein 2. Total fat 3. Saturated fat
4. Trans fat 5. Carbohydrate 6. Sugar 7. Sodium
＃If the food has stated any claim related to any other nutrients out of 1+7, then that nutrient content must be shown in the panel even it is not included in 1+7.
We have to check different nutrients based on our health conditions | |
Weight management | |
Weight management | Calories (energy), fat and sugar |
Hypertension | |
Hypertension | Fat, sodium content |
Cardiovascular | |
Cardiovascular | Saturated fat, trans fat and sodium level |
Diabetes | |
Diabetes | Total carbohydrate, fat and sugar content |
Renal Issue | |
Renal Issue | Protein and sodium |
*Please consult registered dietitian for your daily energy requirement and recommended nutrient intake.
Step 3
Based on different food categories, we decide which nutrients should we notice:
For instance, dairy products: Calcium (if listed in the panel) and sugar (especially for yogurt)
Breakfast cereal: Sugar and fiber (if listed in the panel)
Canned food: Sodium
Nutrient content claim
Low Fat:
≤ 3g total fat per 100g of solid food or ≤ 1.5g total fat per 100ml of liquid
Low sugar:
≤ 5g total sugar per 100g of solid food or 100ml of liquid
Low sodium:
≤ 120mg sodium per 100g of solid or 100ml of liquid
High calcium:
≥ 240mg calcium per 100g of solid food or 120mg per 100ml of liquid
High fiber:
≥ 6g of fiber per 100g of solid food or 3g of fiber per 100ml of liquid
Traps in food label
(don’t trust the nutrition claim only, please read the nutrition fact panel)
- Low fat does not mean low sugar or fewer calories. Some biscuits or chocolate drink are low fat but not low sugar.
- Low fat does not mean low sodium, e.g. ham and turkey ham.
- Less fat is not equal to low fat, it just contains less fat than original formula.
- Light does not mean low fat.
- Calcium-added does not mean high calcium.
Remarks
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