Nutrition Label Know-How

Do you want to find out what the main ingredients in your food are? Would you like to know how much fat, sugar or salt is in your food? Do you know when to use your food by? Would you like to compare foods to find out which one is better for you? Do you want to find out the serving size of your food?

The answers to these questions can be found on packaging of food and drinks, you just need to know what to look for!

What does the nutrition information panel tell me?

Hover over the questions below to see more information.

• What does the nutrition information panel look like?
• What is the recommended serving size?

  The serving size on a label is only a guide. It’s decided by the manufacturer and is usually based on how much they expect a person to typically eat. Sometimes it just refers to the unit size of the product itself. It is not an indication of how much you should eat.

• How much energy is in your food?

  To stay healthy, choose mainly lower energy foods such as fruit and vegetable, bread, rice, pasta, low fat milk, beans, fish and meat (with the fat removed). Foods that are high in energy are important when you are active, still have lots of growing to do or if you need to put on some extra weight, but make sure to keep to the serving size and don’t have them too often!

• How much protein is in your food?

  Protein is important for growing children and for building muscles.

• How much fat is in your food?

  Fat has a lot of energy, so if your food has a lot of fat in it, like chocolate, fried foods and pastries, it will have a smaller serving size. Some fats are better than others. For spreads and cooking oils, choose the ones that come from vegetable sources, such as canola oil, rice bran oil, olive oil and margarines.

• How much sugar is in your food?

  Sugar can be added to a product or it can also be naturally found in foods such as fruit and milk. Foods that have a lot of added sugar are best kept as treat foods, so don’t have them too often!

• How much sodium is in your food?

  Sodium is found in salt. Choose foods that are lower in both sodium and salt.

• What does the ingredient list look like?
• What the the best before date look like?

  The best before date is a recommendation on when the food (or drink) needs to be eaten by.

Download the form below and work through some of the things in your fridge or pantry – ask Mum or Dad to help!