7 Quick Lessons in Labelling

1. “90% fat-free” means the product has 10% fat - that’s the same level of fat as some ice-creams! Think backwards.

2. “Low fat” products must contain no more than 3% fat but they may contain the same or higher levels of sugar than their full-fat equivalents. Some low-fat yoghurts contain more kilojoules than chocolate!

3. “Reduced fat” products can still be high in fat. For example, cheese.

4. “Light” or “lite” might refer to the colour or flavour of a product, rather than the fat content. For example, olive oil.

5. A product which is “cholesterol free” or has “low cholesterol” might still be high in saturated fats, which can increase blood cholesterol.

6. “Sugar free” or “no added sugar” usually means a product is free of sucrose, but other sugars might be included. For example, glucose or honey. The same rule applies to fat and salt.

7. Look at the recommended serving size. Sometimes a product which appears to be a single-serve is actually two – which means double the calories! Watch out for sneaky extra serves in soft drinks and yoghurts.


Nutrition in a Nutshell

Most packaged foods have a nutrition information panel or NIP. This is the nutrition information panel of a leading breakfast cereal.

The NIP compares the nutrition information per serve and per 100g (always use the 100g column to compare different products). NIPs are meant to help consumers make informed choices about food.  But Food Investigators nutritionist Hanan Saleh reckons NIPs are not very helpful – unless you know what to look out for.

Hanan\'s Handy Hints for the Supermarket

By using Hanan’s tips with the cereal NIP (above) - it is easy to see the food manufacturer claim that the product is low in sugar is true.


How to Read the Ingredients List

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. The food listed first is the largest ingredient; the food listed last is the smallest.

For example – this ingredient list for “99% fat free” strawberry yoghurt shows the product contains more sugar than fruit.

Concentrated skim milk, milk, skim milk, sugar, fruit (strawberry – 7% minimum), live acidophilus and bifidus cultures, halal gelatine, thickener (1442), flavour, food acids (296, 330, 331), natural colour (120).

The percentage of key ingredients must also be shown on the label. In the example above, the food manufacturer was obliged to detail the percentage of strawberry because the product is labelled “strawberry yoghurt”.

Ingredients weighing less than 5% of the product weight do not have to be listed [although food additives, foods which cause common allergies (such as crustaceans, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts and sesame seeds), gluten and sulphites must always be listed regardless of their quantity in the final product].


Incognito Ingredients

It is not uncommon for food manufacturers to distribute sugars, salt, and fats among the ingredients so that they do not appear near the top of the ingredients list. Add together the incognito ingredients to see how much sugar, salt and fat you are actually consuming.

Can you spot the hidden sugars, fats, and salt in this ingredient list for pasta sauce?

Tomato (49%), Onion, Chicken (9%) [Chicken water, soy, salt, mineral salts 452, 451, 450), Dextrose], Water, White Wine (8%) [Grapes, Preservatives (202, 220), Antioxidant (300)], Mushroom, Canola Oil, Sugar, Chicken Flavour, Thickener (1422) [Contains Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide)], Salt, Tomato Paste, Garlic, Food Acid (Citric Acid), Mineral Salt (509), Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Pepper

Adding Up the Additives

Food additives are – like it or not – part of packaged food.

More than 300 additives are used in Australia.

You’ll see them listed as colours, preservatives, antioxidants, artificial sweeteners, flavour enhancers, emulsifiers, stabilisers and thickeners. (Some food additives have more than one use.)

The use of additives has long been controversial. Consumer advocacy groups warn some additives are unsafe for human consumption but the food industry insists they provide tangible benefits in terms of food safety and storage.

FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) is the body responsible for regulating the use of food additives in Australia. Read a list of the additives the FSANZ has deemed safe to eat here.
 

Explaining Expiry Dates

Did you know there is a distinction between best before and use by dates? If you answered no, you might be throwing perfectly good food away!

Want to know the difference?

USE BY: Don’t eat foods after the expiry of use by dates – they could make you or your family sick. Foods with use by dates include dairy products, infant formula and meat.

BEST BEFORE: Foods can still be eaten (and sold) after best before dates if the quality has not deteriorated or packaging damaged. Foods with best before dates include cereals, biscuits and canned foods. Make sure best before foods are stored according to the food manufacturers’ instructions.