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This is how you can read and decode a food label

Last updated on - Apr 3, 2019, 10:00 IST

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Everything you need to know about food labeling

Are you also someone who gets confused by the label on food items? Does it seem Greek to you? With so many codes and numbers, the script seems to be from some other planet, right? Fret not, we have got an easy solution that can make you also an expert. This piece of information will help you decode the label lingo. Scroll below to know in detail.

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Serving size

This one refers to quantity of ingredients used in each serving. It helps you understand what amount of calories and nutrietns you are consuming with each serving of the dish.

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Calories

This one talks about the amount of energy that's in a single serving of the food item. Remember that the calories mentioned are not always accurate and they often require more energy to burn.

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Nutrients

According to FDA regulations, every food manufacturer is required to list total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fibre, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

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Ingredients List

When it comes to ingredients list, they are mentioned in descending order by weight. According to experts, the first ingredient in the list is the one with the greatest portion of the food's weight, and the last takes up the least.

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Daily value

Per cent daily value puts all the nutrients on a scale of 0% to 100%. This scale helps you understand that if there is a little or a lot of a nutrient in one serving of a packaged food. You can use this percentage to compare the nutrient content of different foods.

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Sodium-free

A "sodium-free" mention on the packet means that the food contains less than 5 mg of sodium.

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Cholesterol-free

"Cholesterol-free" means that the product contains less than 2 mg of cholesterol. It is also low in saturated fat and trans-fat.

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Low fat

"Low fat" means that the food contains less than 3 grams of fat in the amount of food packed.

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