IT'S ON THE LABEL
Even if you know what a balanced diet means, it can be hard to find the right
foods for healthy eating. But food labels can help – they tell you the energy
the food gives you as well as the amount of nutrients. Have a look at these.
Label for a medium sliced wholemeal loaf
| Typical values |
Amount per 100g |
Amount per slice |
| Energy |
222kcal |
80kcal |
| Protein |
10.9g |
3.9g |
| Carbohydrate |
36.2g |
13.0g |
| Fat |
3.7g |
1.3g |
| Fibre |
6.5g |
2.3g |
| Sodium |
0.5g |
0.2g |
Label for a bar of chocolate
| Typical values |
Amount per 100g |
Amount per bar |
| Energy |
525kcal |
110kcal |
| Protein |
10.9g7.6g |
1.6g |
| Carbohydrate |
56.1g |
11.8g |
| Fat |
30.1g |
6.3g |
| Fibre |
- |
- |
| Sodium |
- |
- |
Which food provides the most energy per 100g? Which food has the most fibre
per 100g?
A food label will usually tell you:
- the name of the food
- its weight or volume
- the ingredients
- how to store the food and when to use it by
- how to prepare the food
- the name and address of who made or sells the food
- ingredients
- nutrition information
The nutrition information is usually given per serving and per 100g and may
show:
- the energy value (in kilojoules and calories)
- the amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat (in grams)
- other amounts, such as sugars and fibre
Different supermarkets use different systems for labelling what's in their
foods. Some supermarkets and manufacturers use 'traffic light' labelling on the
front of their packets. The traffic light colours show whether the food has
high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt per 100g. Red
indicates high levels, amber medium and green low levels.
Have a look at some different packaging – which labelling systems are used?
How do they work? Which do you think is the easiest to understand? (You could
make a class display of different types of labelling.)
