How to read the front-of-pack label
- The suggested serving size per person
- The number of calories per serving size
- The amount of fat, sugar and salt per serving
- The percentage of RI per serving
- Green, amber and red signify whether the amount of the nutrient is low, medium or high per 100g of product. To understand how this is quantified, see the table below.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
• The percentage RI for calories should be used as a guide only, dependent on age, gender, build, lifestyle and activity levels.
• The percentage RIs for fat, sugar and salt should not be exceeded over the course of a day.
How to read a back of a pack label
What do the numbers mean?
- Check whether the nutrition is measured per 100g or per serving – both aren’t always listed.
- When looking at the percentage RI, aim for less than 30% of calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt per meal – for the average person this works out to be around 400kcal for breakfast, and 600kcal each for lunch and dinner.
If the percentage RI is not shown, compare the nutrient amounts next to your own RI. Check to see how much of each nutrient one serving contains.
- Check the recommended portion. Don’t super-size!
- Remember that some packs may contain more than one serving.
Ingredients list
Ingredients are shown on the back or side of packaged foods. The ingredients are listed in descending order of quantity, so the ingredient with the greatest amount will be listed first.