Let's talk about nutrition labels

As part of the UK government’s obesity strategy they have targeted food and nutrition labelling with plans including: calorie labelling on menus (in places with over 250 employees), and potentially on alcoholic drinks, and gathering information on the UK’s traffic light labelling system (1) But what are nutrition labels and what information do they contain?

girl shopping.png — What are nutrition labels?:
Nutrition labels are labels on pre-packaged foods that provide us with information on the nutrient and calorie contents of foods and drinks (2). They are meant to help us, as consumers, make informed choices (3). However, anyone who has looked at these labels will know that deciphering the information in reality is not always straightforward.
What information do nutrition labels contain?:‘Back-of-Pack’ nutrition labels:
In 2016, the UK made it a legal requirement for most pre-packed foods to contain nutritional information on the back of the product called ‘back-of-pack’ labelling (4). These labels tell us a product's nutritional profile, including: how many calories are in a product (energy), fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt - in that specific order. There are other nutrients such as fibre that can be included as an optional extra but aren’t required, unless a nutrition or health claim is made against it (5,6).
In addition, nutrient and calorie contents are displayed as either per 100g, per 100ml or per portion of the product (5,6). Using 100g/ 100ml measures may be confusing or misleading as often we do not consume the product in these amounts. Some products display information per portion (4) - which may be more realistic, especially if the product is individually portioned (e.g. individual yogurt pots). The difficulty here is that only some products have calorie and nutrient information per portion, so not all similar products can be easily compared in this way. Certain foods (and drinks) such as salt, herbs and spices don’t have to include the above details (3). Previously alcoholic drinks (above 1.2% ABV) haven’t had to display calorie contents but, as mentioned earlier, this is currently under review (1,3).

Front-of-Pack’ nutrition labels:
What may be more noticeable is nutritional labelling on the front of food and drink packaging. The difference with front-of-pack (FOP) labelling is that it’s voluntary in the UK - so companies don’t have to put this additional extra on their packaging but the colour coded FOP labelling is recommended by the UK government (7). These nutrition labels either display energy (calories) only or energy (calories) plus fat, saturated fat, sugar (total) and salt (5).
FOP colour coded labelling is present on many nutrition labels and is there to help us make informed choices (8).
Green colour = ‘low’ amount = more greens usually means it’s a healthier product
Amber colour = ‘medium’ amount = this choice is fine most of the time
Red colour = ‘high’ amount = try to eat less often/in small amounts
For example, a product with mostly green colours is suggested to be a healthier option. These colours do not mean a food is good or bad.
Reference intakes (RIs): Can be found on the front or back of packaging (9). RIs are based on an average adult woman* and tell us how much of an average adult's daily intake of calories and nutrients are found within a serving of that food or drink, usually as a percentage (%). It is an overall guideline, not a target - as it is not specific to individuals. For example, if saturated fat is 26% then we know that a serving of this product contains approximately ¼ of the average total daily saturated fat limit.
*Daily reference intakes for certain nutrients can be found on the NHS website (10)

Ideas for navigating food labels:
Look at serving sizes - it can be surprising as the nutritional information on the label may not represent the entire product. E.g. half a bottle (250ml) instead of the entire bottle (500ml), in some cases
When picking up a product, look at similar options and compare nutrient information per 100g/ml (or if available on both products, compare per portion for single portioned items)
When traffic light labels are available try to choose mostly green labels where possible, some amber and fewer reds - compare similar products to see if you can find a healthier option (8)
Be aware of all nutrients - don’t just focus on one nutrient e.g. sugar as we eat foods not individual nutrients.

References:

Lucy McLeanMarch 10, 2021Comment