What’s in a Label?

As of December 2007 it was made mandatory for a Nutrition Facts Panel to be included on most pre-packaged foods.  Exceptions include fresh vegetables and fruits, raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood, foods prepared or processed at the store such as bakery items or salads, foods containing very few nutrients such as tea leaves, spices or coffee beans and alcoholic beverages.

So why should we pay attention to the panel and what should we look for?  The consistent “look” of the panel allows you to easily compare similar food items.  All nutrition facts panel lists include: calories, serving size, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron.  Additional nutrient information is sometimes found on packaging, if product developers wish to include it.

When comparing between two food items first look at the serving size.  You want to make sure you’re comparing ‘apples with apples’!  Next the fat content: saturated and trans fat (the bad fats) will be indicated on the panel, and sometimes poly- and mono-unsaturated fats (the good fats) will also be included.  Aim to choose items that have no trans fats (or trace amounts) and limited amounts of saturated fats.  As another guide to the fat content in a food product, you may want to look at the % Daily Value, given as a percent on the right side of the panel.  This percentage indicates whether a food has a lot or a little of certain nutrients and further helps in comparing one product over another, based on the recommendations for a healthy diet.  For fat specifically, ensure that one serving of a food item contains less than 15% of your total fat calories and less than 10% of the combined trans and saturated fats.  As you continue to move down the panel, take a look at the amounts of sodium and cholesterol in a product, looking for a smaller amount and % DV overall.  If making a comparison from one item to the next, choose the items with a greater amount of fibre, calcium, iron and vitamins.

Be aware of nutritional claims found on most packaging as well: “No trans fat”, “Good source of Fibre”, “Excellent Source of Vitamin C”.  Though these also help to make informed choices, when a product takes out a certain nutrient (ie trans fat), they often add more of another nutrient to help make up a certain flavour profile (ie added carbohydrates/sugar, sodium, saturated fats, calories). 

So, pay more attention to the nutrition facts panel and ingredient lists when making informed food choices.  If you are looking to increase the amount of a certain beneficial nutrient in your diet, look for % DV of 15% or greater, and if looking to decrease a certain nutrient, look for % DV’s of less than 5%.