How to Read Food Labels Without Getting Misled.

A practical guide from a nutritionist to help you make smarter everyday choices 

Ever picked up a product because it said 'Natural', 'Low Fat', 'No added sugar' or 'Made with Whole Grains', only to wonder later if it was actually healthy? 

You’re not alone. 

In today's supermarket aisles, food packaging is filled with eye-catching claims designed to grab our attention and influence our purchasing decisions. While these statements may sound reassuring, they don't always tell the whole story. 

Everyday wellness doesn't have to be complicated. By learning a few simple label-reading skills, you'll be able to shop with greater confidence and avoid being misled by marketing claims.

Why Food Labels Matter

Food labels are more than just regulatory requirements. They provide valuable information about a product’s nutritional content and ingredients. Understanding them can help you compare products, manage your nutrient intake and make choices that align with your health goals.

However, many consumers focus on branding, price or just nutrition claims while overlooking food labels, which matters most.

Here is a practical guide to help you decode food labels effectively, helping you distingh between genuinely healthy options and those that may be less wholesome than they seem. 

1) Don’t Judge a Product by the Front Pack

Many products have labels with nutrition claims on them, typically displayed on the front pack. It’s a good thing to help consumers quickly identify healthier product options at a glance. 

However, some manufacturers use marketing tactics that can make products appear more nutritious than they really are. Manufacturers may highlight one positive feature but don’t necessarily reflect the overall nutritional quality of the product.

Researchers have found that front pack nutrition claims can create a "health halo" effect, causing consumers to perceive products as healthier than they actually are. 

Here are some of the most common claims and what they actually mean:

• No added sugar: Means no sugar was added during processing. Some products, like 100% fruit juice, are naturally high in sugar. The fact that they didn’t add sugar doesn’t mean they’re sugar free.

• Natural: The word "natural" doesn't automatically mean nutritious or minimally processed. A product can be natural, yet still contain high amounts of sugar, calories, or saturated fat.

• Low fat: Many low-fat products compensate for reduced fat by adding extra sugar, starch or flavourings to improve taste. Always check the ingredient list instead of relying solely on the claim. 

• Made with real fruit: Simply means the product contains a fruit-based ingredient. This is not the same as eating whole fruit and doesn’t necessarily provide all the same beneficial nutrients found in fruit.

• Multigrains: This sounds very healthy but only means that a product contains more than one type of grain. These are most likely refined grains, unless the product is marked as whole grain.

• Organic: This label only tells you how cleanly and safely the ingredients were grown,  but doesn’t automatically mean the product is healthy. Organic sugar is still sugar.

Nutrition claims can be useful, but they should always be viewed in context. Treat front pack claims as a starting point, not the final verdict. 

2) Rely on the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP)

The Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) is one of the most useful tools for understanding what's in your food. 

It’s typically located at the back of the pack that provides the amount of energy, carbohydrates, total sugars, protein, and fat in the product. Other nutrients may include vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, cholesterol and sodium. All are presented “per serving” and “per 100g” or “per 100ml.” 

Pay attention to:

a) Serving Size

Many people look at the amount of nutrition information such as calories, sugar or fat without checking the serving size.

Nutrition information in NIP is presented per serving, but serving sizes aren’t always realistic. Example of serving size:

• Half a can of beverage per serving

• One small biscuit per serving

• Half a chocolate bar per serving

• 20g mixed nuts per serving 

Realistically, many people consume more than one serving at a time, which means they’re also consuming more calories, sugar, fat and sodium than they realize. 

Example from image above shows the snack contains only 4g sugar per serving, but stated 2 servings per pack. Thus finishing the whole pack means consuming 8g of sugar, not 4g!

b) “Per 100g” or “per 100ml” column

Since serving sizes vary between brands, a product may appear lower in sugar or calories simply because the serving size is smaller. Using the "per 100g" or "per 100ml" column provides a fair comparison between products. 

Example:

At first glance, Brand A looks lower in sugar. But comparing per 100g reveals a different story.

3) Read the Ingredient List

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first few ingredients make up the largest portion of the product. As a general rule, do pay attention to the first three ingredients listed, as these are the main ingredients of a product. Plus, an ingredient list longer than 2-3 lines may be a sign that the product is highly processed. 

Now pay attention to sugar.

Sugar doesn’t always appear as “sugar” on the ingredient list.

Manufacturers may use different names, making it harder to identify how much sweetener has been added. In doing so, they can list a healthier ingredient at the top and mention sugar further down. So, even though a product may be loaded with sugar, it doesn’t necessarily appear as one of the first three ingredients.

To avoid accidentally consuming a lot of sugar, watch out for the following names of sugar in ingredient lists:

• Glucose

• Fructose

• Maltose

• Dextrose

• Maltodextrin

• Corn syrup

• Honey

• High fructose corn syrup

• Nectar

These are not shown in the NIP but can be found in the ingredient list. Hence, consumers are able to cross-check the total sugars from the NIP, including the type of sugars in the product from the ingredient list.

Summary

Food labels are one of the most powerful tools for making healthier food choices, but only if you know how to use them. The next time you're grocery shopping, take a moment to look beyond the front pack and ask yourself this Quick Food Label Checklist: 

• Did I look beyond the front pack nutrition claim?
• Did I check the serving size?
• Did I compare the “Per 100g” values?
• What are the first 3 ingredients?
• Are there multiple forms of added sugar?

If you can answer these 5 questions, you’re already making more informed food choices.

Remember, healthier eating is about making better choices, one product at a time. Small, informed choices made consistently can make a meaningful difference over time. That's what Everyday Wellness. Made Simple. is all about. 

Reference

1. Ikonen, I., Sotgiu, F., Aydinli, A. et al. Consumer effects of front-of-package nutrition labeling: an interdisciplinary meta-analysis. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 48, 360–383 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00663-9