Nutrition information on food labels

Nutrition information on food labels

What is new?

What does it mean?

How do you use it?

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Nutrition information on food labels

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What food products have Nutrition Facts?Almost all prepackaged foods have Nutrition Facts

some exceptions:

• fresh fruit and vegetables

• raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood

• foods prepared or processed at the store

bakery items, sausage, salads

• foods that contain very few nutrients

coffee beans, tea leaves, spices

• alcoholic beverages#4

Use Nutrition Facts to make informed food choices

• to help you choose foods that meet your needs

• to easily compare similar foods

• to look for foods with more or less of a specific nutrient

• to select foods for special diets

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Serving size

• the specific amount of food listed under the “Nutrition Facts” title

• all nutrient information is based on this amount of food

• listed in common measures you use at home

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Nutrition Facts are based on a specific amount of food

Compare this to the amount you eat and Canada’s Food Guide

Example: Breakfast Cereal

Food Label bran cereal with raisins1 cup (59 g)

Food Guide30 g

At home1 ½ cups bran cereal with raisins

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% Daily Value

• can make it easier to compare foods

• helps you see if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient

• provides a context to the actual amount of a nutrient

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Use % Daily Value to see if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient

The actual numbers can be confusing, for example:

• 2 mg of iron seems small but it is 15 % of the Daily Value for iron

• 110 mg of sodium seems large but it is only 5 % of the Daily Value for sodium

% Daily Value makes it easy to see if there is a lot or a little of a

nutrient without having to do any math.

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Use Nutrition Facts to make informed food choices

• Increasing or decreasing a specific nutrient...

• Choosing between two similar products...

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List of ingredients

• all of the ingredients for a food are listed by weight, from the most to the least (the ingredient that is in the largest amount is listed first)

• is present on prepackaged foods

• is a source of allergy information

• is a source of certain nutrient information

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Nutrition claims

They are:

• regulated statements made when a food meets certain criteria

• optional, so may be found only on some food products

• often on the front of food packages

• a quick and easy way to get information about a food

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Nutrition claims

When you want to decrease the amount of certain nutrients...

Free• none or hardly any of this nutrient• an example is “sodium free”

Low• a small amount• an example is “low fat”

Reduced• at least 25% less of the nutrient than a similar product• an example is “reduced in Calories”

Light• can be used on foods that are reduced in fat or

reduced in Calories

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Nutrition claims

When you want to increase the amount of certain nutrients...

Source• contains a useful amount of the nutrient • an example is “source of fibre”

High or good source

• contains a high amount of the nutrient• an example is “high in vitamin C”

Very high or excellent source

• contains a very high amount of the nutrient• an example is “excellent source of calcium”

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Nutrition claims

“A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart disease. (Naming the food) is

free of saturated and trans fats.”

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Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating

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Nutrition labelling: a tool to support healthy eating

Food Guide MessageEnjoy a variety of foods from each group every day

Label Information• check your grocery cart to

ensure foods from all the food groups are included – with and without labels

Choose lower fat foods more often

• Nutrition Facts - % DV• Nutrition claims such as “lower

in fat”

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Nutrition labelling: a tool to support healthy eating

Food Guide MessageChoose whole grains and enriched products more often

Label Information• List of ingredients• Nutrition Facts• Nutrition claims

Choose dark green or orange vegetables and orange fruit more often

• List of ingredients• Nutrition Facts

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Nutrition labelling: a tool to support healthy eating

Food Guide MessageChoose lower fat milk products more often

Label Information• Nutrition claims• Nutrition Facts• List of ingredients

Choose leaner meats, poultry and fish, as well as dried peas, beans and lentils more often

• Nutrition claims• Nutrition Facts• List of ingredients

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A healthy you!

Enjoy eating well, being active and

feeling good about yourself.

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