The Lowdown On Labelling
To help us determine the nutritional value of the foods we buy, the Canadian government introduced a new system of presenting nutrition information on food labels back in 2003. But three years on, how savvy are we about what these labels tell us? Maybe it’s time we all took the Interactive Nutrition Label Quiz.
By Marilyn Arthurs
It’s right there in black and white, so it should be easy: when choosing the most nutritional foods, all we have to do is read through the nutrition label to find out the facts.
But for many of us, a food label can be very confusing. We sometimes think we need a science degree to decipher it all. Yes, they’re all there: ingredients, calories, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins, plus the amounts and percentages, not too mention the % daily value. But what does it all mean in plain English – and more importantly, what does it mean when it comes to everyday eating?
Help is at hand. Health Canada’s website is a great source of nutritional information, all presented so simply we average consumers can understand it! The site shows a typical food label, then takes us step-by-step through the details and what they mean.
The process teaches us how to make informed choices about the food we buy, and how to choose foods that can help us reduce our risk of serious conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. By learning how to interpret food labels, this valuable website tells us, we can learn how to compare various products according to their nutritional value, how to better manage our diets, and how and why we should increase or decrease our intake of various nutrients.
The site advises us to refer to the specific amount of food listed at the top of the label – one example shown lists the nutrition facts for two slices of whole wheat bread – and compare that amount to the amount we actually eat. That helps us to work out how much of which ingredients feature regularly in our own diets.
And what exactly does ‘% daily value’ mean? Again, the website explains in easy-to-understand language what the term means and how it can help us to make accurate food comparisons. An example shown on the website compares two food labels: one for a sirloin burger and one for a chicken burger, both weighing in at 130g.
The labels clearly show that the sirloin burger contains 340 calories and 27g of fat, while the chicken burger contains 200 calories and 9g of fat. But the labels tell us much more: when it comes to the % daily value, the sirloin burger represents 42% of our recommended daily intake of fat, compared to only 14% for the chicken burger.
At the same time, however, the label also warns us that the sirloin burger is lower in sodium (330mg), while the chicken burger contains 800mg of sodium. And, the label tells us, the sirloin burger contains more iron – 30%, compared to 2% for the chicken burger.
What should we be reading from all of this information? By knowing the % daily value of the foods we choose to eat, we can know better how to balance our daily diets to ensure we aren’t getting too much, or too little, of a good thing (or a bad one).
The Health Canada website also includes a section explaining nutrition claims, to help us understand exactly what manufacturers are telling us. Examples of claims featured include source of fibre, low fat, cholesterol-free, sodium-free, and reduced in calories.
The site also offers a number of handy tips for reading food labels. For example, the list of ingredients are presented in descending order by weight, so we can determine at a glance what the main ingredients are. Also, the core nutrients are always listed in the same order: calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. By gradually becoming more accustomed to this list, we will be able to evaluate food labels and determine levels of specific elements more quickly and efficiently.
So when it comes to reading food labels, don’t feel blinded by science. This is one science that’s easy to learn. It just takes a little practise. To help you get started, just log on to www.healthcanada.ca, click on the Interactive Nutrition Label Quiz, and test your food labelling knowledge. You might be surprised how much you already know!
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