Food labelling
Understand food labels for healthier shopping.
Calories – what you should know:
Energy is measured either in calories (kcals) or kilojoules (kJ). Kilojoules is the metric equivalent of calories. Most labels use calories. If you frequently eat more energy (calories) than you need for the amount of physical activity you do, you will become overweight.
Food Labels explained:
Calorie food labels and what they mean:
‘Reduced Calorie’ - 30% less calories than the standard product.
‘Low Calorie’ - Less than 40 calories per 100g.
Fat – what you should know:
Fats are also listed as butter, butter milk, dripping, lard, milk fat, vegetable oil, peanut oil, vegetable fat, glycerides. Some labels may tell you if the fat is saturated or unsaturated or trans fat. Saturated fats refer mainly to animal fats. Too much saturated fat in your diet may increase blood cholesterol. Unsaturated fats refer mainly to vegetable oils. They may also be listed as monounsaturates and polyunsaturates, which are found in sunflower oil or olive oil. Trans fats are a type of fat that raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol and therefore increase the risk of heart disease. These are often called ''hydrogenated fats'' and are found in processed foods. Most trans fats are made from unsaturated fats during the making of some margarines which are then used in some foods, especially confectionary. Eating too much trans fat is linked with weight gain and obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Fat
A Lot: 20g A Little (healthier levels): 3g
Saturated Fat
A Lot: 5g A Little (healthier levels): 1g
Fat food labels explained:
‘Low Fat’ Less than 3g fat in 100g.
‘Fat Free’ Contains very small amounts of fat, which have no real effects on the body.
Less than 5% Fat Less than 5g fat per 100g. E.g. for a ready meal that has this claim and a serving size of 400g, the whole meal contains 20g of fat.
‘Reduced Fat’ Contains at least 30% less fat than its regular comparable product. It does not necessarily mean the product is low in fat. Particularly if the standard product is very high in fat to start with, for example regular cheese versus reduced fat cheese.
‘95% Fat Free’ Contains no more than 5% fat (or 5g per 100g).
‘Low in Saturates’ Less than 1.5g of saturated fat and trans fat combined per 100g.
Fibre – what you should know:
Fibre is vital to add bulk to your diet. It is found in fruits, vegetables, pulses like beans and lentils, wholegrain bread and high-fibre breakfast cereals.
A Lot (healthy level) 3g
A Little 0.5g
Fibre food labels explained:
‘High Fibre’ Contains at least 6g fibre per 100g.
‘Sources of Fibre’ Contains at least 3g fibre per 100g.
Salt – what you should know:
Salt is also listed as sodium, sodium chloride, or monosodium glutamate (MSG)- to name but a few. To calculate the amount of salt in a food, multiply the amount of sodium by 2.5. Aim for less than 6g of salt – just over half a teaspoon – a day. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to heart attack and stroke.
Salt:
A Lot 1.5
A Little (healthier level) 0.3g
Sodium:
A Lot 0.6g
A little 0.3g
Salt food labels explained:
‘Sodium Free’ No more than 0.005g per 100g.
‘Low Sodium’ Less than 0.12g per 100g.
Sugar – what you should know:
Sugars is also listed as sucrose, glucose, glucose syrup, golden syrup, maple syrup, treacle, invert sugar, honey, fructose, dextrose and maltose.
Sugary foods and drinks don’t satisfy appetite as well as other foods, are high in calories and low in nutrients and are linked to excess weight and dental decay. General healthy eating guidelines encourage a balance of foods across all food groups based on the Food Pyramid.
A Lot 15g
A Little (healthier level) 5g
Sugar food labels explained:
‘Sugar Free’ Contains very small amounts of sugar, which have no real effects on the body.
'Less than 5% Sugar' Less than 5g sugar per 100g. For example, for a ready made dessert that has this claim and a serving size of 400g, the whole meal contains 20g of sugar.
Reduced Sugar’ Contains at least 30% less sugar than its regular comparable product. It does not necessarily mean the product is low in sugar particularly if the standard product is very high in sugar to start with, for example regular jam versus reduced sugar jam.
‘No Added Sugar’ No sugar or food made from sugar has been added to the product.
Additives – what you should know:
All additives to food are given E numbers for reference, which assures us that additives are safe to eat in food. Additives are used to preserve a product properly or to enhance the look and flavour of the product. E162 for instance is the natural red colouring from beetroot.
Thanks to the Irish Heart Foundation http://www.irishheart.ie for this information.
Some content thanks to the Community Nutrition & Dietetic Service of the Health Promotion Department, HSE Dublin North East.
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