{"id":430,"date":"2009-07-13T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2009-07-12T14:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/?p=430"},"modified":"2010-10-11T16:45:37","modified_gmt":"2010-10-11T06:45:37","slug":"reading-food-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brigidtreloar.com.au\/blog\/2009\/07\/13\/reading-food-labels\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading food labels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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FOOD LABELLING<\/span> –WHAT DOES IT MEAN?<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

What’s the difference between Fat Free, Low Fat and Fat Reduced? Confusing?<\/h3>\n

Much of the information we need to know about healthy eating can be found on food labels, but how many of us actually know how to interpret that information and use it for healthier eating?<\/h3>\n

According to a recent survey about Australian attitudes to food (Jalna Australian Food Attitudes Survey, conducted by Newspoll – see www.jalna.com.au )<\/a> Australians are more worried about food safety and quality than 5 years ago. When asked what they checked labels for the highest percentage said fat (76%) then sugar (74%), salt (62%), additives (63%), preservatives (63%), artificial sweetners (59%), colours (57%) and flavours (57%). Interestingly, only 46% said they consciously check for the kilojoule content.<\/h3>\n

So what do food labels actually tell us?<\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Firstly, NUTRITION CLAIMS ON LABELS MUST MEET THE GUIDELINES<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

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<\/span>For a manufacturer to make various claims, their products must meet the following guidelines: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/strong><\/h3>\n

FAT FREE<\/strong><\/span> product contains less than 0.15g of fat per serve<\/h3>\n

<\/strong><\/h3>\n

LOW FAT<\/strong><\/span> product contains less than 3g of fat per serve for solid foods (1.5 per cent for liquid foods).<\/h3>\n

Reduced fat or salt<\/span> <\/strong><\/span>should be at least a 25 per cent reduction from the original product<\/h3>\n

Percentage of fat <\/strong>remember 80 per cent fat free is the same as 20 per cent fat, which is a large amount.<\/h3>\n

CHOLESTEROL FREE <\/span>product contains less than 2mg of cholesterol per serve<\/h3>\n

LOW CHOLESTEROL<\/strong> <\/span>product contains less than 20mg of cholesterol per serve<\/h3>\n

LOW SODIUM<\/strong> <\/span>product contains less than 120mg of sodium per 100g serve<\/h3>\n

SODIUM FREE <\/span>less than 5mg of sodium<\/h3>\n

(1 teaspoon of salt equates to 2400mg of sodium, slightly more than the recommended upper limit of 2300mg for adult men and women)<\/h3>\n

<\/strong><\/h3>\n

LOW KILOJOULE\/CALORIE <\/strong><\/span>product contains less than 164kj or 40 calories, of energy (or kilojoule) <\/strong>per serve<\/h3>\n

SUGAR FREE<\/strong> <\/span>product contains less than 0.5g of sugar per serve<\/h3>\n

No added sugar <\/strong>products must not contain added sugar, but may contain natural sugars<\/h3>\n

HIGH FIBRE<\/strong> <\/span>product contains 5g or more of fibre<\/h3>\n

HIGH OR RICH<\/strong><\/span> product contains more than 20% of the daily nutritional requirement for the stated nutrient<\/h3>\n

FORTIFIED<\/strong> <\/span>product contains more than 10% of the daily nutritional requirement for the stated nutrient<\/h3>\n

GLUTEN FREE<\/strong> <\/span>product contains no trace of gluten and is suitable for anyone with a gluten allergy<\/h3>\n

LIGHT\/LITE <\/strong><\/span>doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the product is low in fat or energy. It may refer to the texture, colour or taste of the product. The characteristic that makes the food \u2018light\u2019 must be stated on the label.<\/h3>\n

Glycemic Index (GI) <\/strong><\/span>is a measure of the speed which a carbohydrate rich food raises glucose levels in the bloodstream. Only products with at least 10g of carbohydrate per serve can be tested for GI.<\/h3>\n

THE FOOD LABEL LIST OF INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span>All ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight, including added water.<\/h3>\n

So:<\/h3>\n