Food labels are there to give you the information you need to help you make healthier and more informed food choices.
NUTRITION CLAIMS WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
Low sugar no more than 5g of sugar per 100g or 100mls
Low fat
no more than 3g fat per 100g -solids (or 1.5g per 100mls - liquids)
Reduced Fat / Sugar
has at least 30% less fat or sugar than the standard product
Fat / Sugar free
no more than 0.5g fat or sugar per 100g or 100mls
Light/Lite to use this claim, the product must be at least 30% lower in at least one typical value (listed on the label on the back of the pack), such as calories or fat, than standard products.
Low salt/sodium
no more than 0.1g of sodium per 100g or 100mls
Source of fibre contains at least 3g of fibre per 100g
High fibre contains at least 6g of fibre per 100g
No added sugar- no sugar has been added to it as an ingredient. The product may contain natural sugars found in milk and fruit. So this product may contain a lot of natural sugar (this will be indicated on the label contains naturally occurring sugars).
Unsweetened - no sugar or sweetener has been added to the food to make it taste sweet. This doesn't necessarily mean that the food will not contain natural sugars found in fruit or milk.
WHAT IS THE TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM?
Some foods have traffic light labels on the front of the pack. This means you can make choices about the food you eat quickly and easily. At a glance you can see if the food has a high, medium or low amount of the following nutrients: fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt in 100g of the food.
Having a lot of these nutrients is not good for your long term health so try to avoid having high amounts of these regularly:
Red = High indicates to you that the food is high in one of the nutrients which it is recommended that we cut down on
Amber = Medium indicates that the food is not high or low in one of the nutrients and is an OK choice most of the time
Green = Low indicates that it is low in one of the nutrients and is the healthiest choice
Note:foods displaying the traffic light colours may have a mixture of red, amber and greens. For healthier choices choose them with more amber and greens. See Diagram above
HOW CAN YOU CHOOSE A HEALTHY OPTION?
As a general rule, for a complete main meal or per 100g snack food, use the following guide:
