Describe the information found on food labels, interpret the nutrition information panel, and use it to compare and choose foods

What this dot point is asking

SEAB wants you to describe the information on food labels, interpret the nutrition information panel (NIP), and use a label to compare and choose foods. The big idea is that a label is the shopper's main tool for an informed choice: it tells you what is in the food, how much, and how it fits your daily needs. The marks come from knowing what a label must show, reading the NIP, a simple percentage calculation, and a fair comparison.

The answer

What must appear on a food label

A packaged food label must show:

• The name of the food.
• The list of ingredients, in order of weight (most first).
• The net weight or quantity.
• The use-by or best-before date.
• Storage instructions (and cooking instructions where needed).
• The nutrition information panel.
• The name and address of the manufacturer or importer.

The ingredient list

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, so the first ingredient is present in the largest amount. This helps you see, for example, if sugar is near the top of a snack. Allergens such as nuts, milk, eggs and shellfish must be declared (often in bold or with a "may contain" warning), which is vital for people with allergies.

The nutrition information panel

The nutrition information panel (NIP) shows the amounts of energy and key nutrients (such as protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, fibre and sodium/salt). It usually gives values per serving and per 100 g (or 100 ml).

Comparing per serving and per 100 g

To compare two products fairly, use the per 100 g (or 100 ml) figures, because serving sizes differ between products, so per-serving figures are not directly comparable. Per 100 g uses the same amount for both, giving a like-for-like comparison.

Working out a percentage of daily needs

A label can be compared to recommended daily amounts. For example, if a serving has $12\ \text{g}$ of fat and the daily amount is about $60\ \text{g}$:

So one serving provides about $20\%$ of the day's fat. This kind of calculation helps judge whether a food is high or low in a nutrient.

Examples in context

Example 1. Spotting hidden sugar. A shopper checking a packaged breakfast cereal finds sugar listed as the second ingredient, meaning the cereal is high in sugar by weight. Reading the ingredient order on the label reveals this even before looking at the numbers, helping the shopper choose a lower-sugar cereal instead.

Example 2. Comparing two cartons of juice. Choosing between two fruit juices, a shopper compares the sugar per 100 ml on each nutrition information panel rather than per serving, since the serving sizes differ. The juice with less sugar per 100 ml is the better choice, showing a fair, label-based comparison.

Try this

Q1. State three pieces of information that must appear on a packaged food label. [3 marks]

• Cue. Any three of: name of food, ingredient list (by weight), net weight, use-by or best-before date, storage instructions, nutrition information panel, manufacturer's name and address.

Q2. A serving of food has 9 g of fat and the daily fat amount is about 60 g. Calculate the percentage of the daily fat provided. [2 marks]

• Cue. $\dfrac{9}{60} \times 100 = 15\%$.

Q3. Explain why comparing the per 100 g figures is fairer than comparing per serving. [2 marks]

• Cue. Serving sizes differ between products, so per 100 g uses the same amount for both and gives a like-for-like comparison.