What information is found on a food label?

The information found on a food label is consistent across the majority of food products and must contain the following pieces of information:

  • Serving Size
  • Caloric Amounts
  • % Daily Value
  • 13 core-nutrients (fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre, sugars, protein, Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron)
  • Ingredients list that outlines all the ingredients in a food product by weight (begins with the highest weight –> lowest weight)
    • Allergen information is found at the end of the ingredients list

Benefits of reading/understanding food labels.

  • You’re able to learn the exact amounts of calories and nutrients for a food item and are able to determine if you are meeting your daily intake needs
  • You’re able to select between varying food products to account for different diets/dietary needs
    • Account/Check for and food allergens
    • Account for key-nutrient (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium) deficiencies

How to read/use a Nutrition Facts Label

Sourced
  1. Serving Size – tells you the quantity of food used to calculate the numbers in the nutrition facts table
  2. Check Calories – Allows you to track your calories in/out throughout your day
  3. Limit these Nutrients – High amounts of these nutrients in your diet can lead to adverse health affects and as such you should limit your daily intake
  4. Get Enough of these Nutrients – Low amounts of these nutrients in your diet can lead to adverse health affects therefore you should be sure to increase your daily intake
  5. Footnote – Describes the context used for calculating the % Daily Value of the Food Item

Learning Assignment

Choose two similar food products (e.g. 2 different boxes of crackers, frozen meals, etc.) and compare/contrast the Food Labels of each to determine which of the products is the healthier choice. Create a blog post which outlines the process that lead to you making your decision between the two products.

References

Understanding Food Labels in Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Nutrition-Labelling/Understanding-Food-Labels-in-Canada.aspx