Food labeling

In this article

How to read labels Food Standards Agency Special logos on the    packaging

What if I have a nut    allergy? What if I'm vegetarian?

Eggs - safe and kind? Bread, pasta, rice -    what kind should    eat?

Convenience versus value

If you eat a lot of packaged food and ready meals then your salt, sugar and fat intake could well be unhealthily high. That's because pre-packaged foods usually contain added salt, sugar and fat. Companies have tended to say that's what the British taste demands - but is it because that's what we get? The good news is that many companies are now working to reduce the levels of salt sugar, and fat in packaged foods. You can also help yourself by looking at the nutritional information on the packaging and choose foods with less fat, sodium (salt), and sugar.

Look at the packaging or label and you'll find the following:

• List of ingredients: this tells you what is in the food including water and the majority of additives. The largest amount of ingredient by weight is listed first, and so on, in order. A can of baked beans, for instance, will have beans listed first then tomatoes and so on. The actual amount of the ingredient isn't given unless a specific statement is made about it on the pack. For additives, manufacturers must state what type they are, and, with the exception of flavourings, they must be listed by their full name or their E number (if they have one) or both. Flavourings must be listed but don't need to be individually named.
• Safe storage instructions: this tells you how to store the food and whether it should be kept in the fridge and/or the freezer.
• Nutritional information: this is optional unless a nutrition claim, such as 'low fat' or 'reduced salt' is made. The values must be given per 100g and many products now provide information per portion too. Some then compare this to Guideline Daily Amounts. As well as calories, this will tell you how much protein, fat and carbohydrate there is in the product. Some products also say how much saturated fat, sugar, fibre and sodium (or salt) it contains.
• Name and address of the maker, packer or retailer
• Best before and use by dates: 'best before' dates are used on products that keep for a while. It won't go bad or be dangerous after that date but is best used by then, as after that date its quality may have deteriorated. 'Use by' dates are important and mean that the food will go off. Freeze it or eat it before the date but if you forget throw it away rather than risk an upset stomach. Ensure you always follow storage instructions.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an independent food safety watchdog set up by an act of Parliament in 2000 to help ensure our food is safe, that we can eat healthily and that we receive independent information about our food. The Food Labelling Forum is currently looking at issues of labelling and how to standardise it, in order to give us more understandable information.

As well as information about nutrition and storage, packaging can also have things that tell you about how the food was produced.

Freedom Food: set up by the RSPCA to improve animal welfare. Meat, eggs and dairy products from animals reared, transported and slaughtered in accordance with the RSPCA's welfare standards based on their 'five freedoms'. The companies are checked and re-checked by the RSPCA. Freedom food products are found in the big supermarkets and in some independent shops.

The RSPCA five freedoms are:

• Freedom from fear and distress
• Freedom from pain, injury and disease
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom to express normal behaviour

Organic produce: food production which aims to: avoid the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides (unless approved for use in organic systems) and routine use of antibiotics and other medicines; pay careful attention to animal welfare; and preserve the environment and wildlife. Organic produce is available from supermarkets, local specialist shops, organic farm shops or via the Internet. There is currently no clear evidence to say that organic food is more nutritious than standard produce.

A food labelled 'organic' means it complies with European laws and comes from registered producers, which have been approved by organic certification bodies. Since it is not always possible to make foods entirely from organic ingredients, organic manufacturers can use specific non-organic ingredients provided that organic ingredients make up at least 95 per cent of the food.

The Vegetarian Society logo: guarantees that the food is free of any animal product, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), has not involved animal testing, and that cross-contamination between vegetarian and non-vegetarian items during production does not occur. Other vegetarian logos may use different criteria.

Red Tractor/British Farm Standard logo: means the food meets the requirements of voluntary farm quality assurance schemes that have been registered with Assured Food Standards.

Healthy Eating logos: are used on foods that may have altered amounts of calories, fat, salt or sugar so that they are more in line with healthy eating recommendations. To find out how these foods differ from other foods you will need to find out what criteria the supermarket has used