Label Reading

Along with a list of ingredients you will find a Nutrition Information Panel and possibly some nutrition claims.

Example of a nutrition information panel, along with information on the various parts of the panel: Energy- Energy is another word for calorie (Kcal) or kilojoule( KJ) Every extra Kcal/KJ eaten will be stored as fat if not needed by the body. A product low in fat or sugar may still be high in energy. Always check the label. Fat - Watch the total fat content – fat can contribute a lot of extra energy Too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Carbohydrate - This is broken down to glucose (sugar) and must be balanced with exercise and/or medication in people with diabetes. It is important to eat some carbohydrate but not too much at each meal. Sugars - Sugars are part of the total carbohydrate in a food. A small amount is acceptable. Check out the other names for sugar. Fibre - Having a high fibre diet is good for many aspects of health. Salt or sodium - Choose foods with lower salt/sodium content, especially if you have high blood pressure.

Ingredients

Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, starting with the largest amount first.

How can we use this information?

Comparing products
Use the per 100 gram column to compare different products.
How much do you eat?

The serving size on the packet may be different to your size – check it out. 

Compare these products yourself

Nutrition label comparing wheat crackers and sweet biscuits
  • How many biscuits is a serving of sweet biscuits?
  • How many servings are in the packet of sweet biscuits?
  • How many crackers make up one serve of wheat crackers?
  • How much fat is in one serve of sweet biscuits?
  • How much fat is in one serve of wheat crackers?
  • If you ate 6 crackers, how many serves is that?
  • If you were to eat 6 crackers, how many grams of fat would that be?
  • Per 100g, which product has the most sugar?
  • Per 100g, which product has the most fat?
  • If you were having 1 serve of each product, which would have the most sugar?
  • Which would have the most energy?
  • What is the main ingredient in the wheat crackers?

Answers


 

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