The information on the nutrition facts panel are a useful way to understand exactly what each food that is purchased contains, in order to make better food choices.
There is no universal nutrition facts panel – there are a variety of nutrition labels which are provided by food manufacturers, although in Australia, there is a minimum requirement for the nutrition facts that need to be displayed on each food. These are:
- serving size
- energy
- values of nutrients (including percentage of daily values)
Some nutrition facts panels also contain extra information, such as levels of certain vitamins and minerals – this is not a requirement.
Other countries have their own set of rules about what is the minimum requirement for the nutrition facts panel that must be displayed on foods. A similar labelling requirement is regulated in other countries, such as the USA and European nations.
What is the requirement for displaying energy values?
The amount of calories (or kilojoules) that a food contains, is a requirement for all food labels in Australia.
The value is usually displayed in kilojoules, with some manufacturers also displaying the equivalent calorie value. In the USA (and other countries that use imperial measurements), calorie values are shown.
Women, men, seniors and children all have different energy (calorie or kilojoule) requirements depending on their level of activity and age.
How are energy values displayed?
On all nutrition labels, the following energy values are shown:
- quantity of kilojoules/calories per serving
- quantity of kilojoules/calories per 100g
What is the purpose of showing energy values?
Displaying energy values on nutrition labels on foods allows consumers to make healthier choices when deciding on a specific food to purchase based on the calorie content. Displaying the calorie value on the food label gives the consumer the knowledge of the calorie content of the food.
High calorie foods are not recommended due to the implications of high calorie intake and obesity. Obesity has several implications in many chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
What are the percentage (%) daily values?
The % daily values show how much of each nutrients is in a good, given that the frame of reference is an adult on a 200 calorie (8400 kilojoules) diet.
The % daily values are simply a guideline to make consumer aware how much of each nutrient is the food and to help them make better (and healthier) food choices.
The % daily values gives a clear indication of whether a food is high or low in certain nutrients.
How are the percentage (%) daily values displayed?
The % daily values is usually displayed at the right of each nutrient on the nutritional label.
What is the purpose of displaying the percentage (%) daily values?
The purpose of displaying % daily values is to give consumers more information about the nutritional value of the foods they are consuming.
The % daily values allow consumers to be aware of the energy value (calories or kilojoules), the amount of fat (total as well as saturated), sugars and sodium that is contained in the food.
It is important that consumers know these facts, because high calorie intake is implicated in obesity, which is a risk factor for many chronic diseases (such as Type 2 Diabetes) and high sodium intake is known to increase blood pressure.
What is the ingredients list?
The ingredients list provides a list of all the ingredients that are contained in the package food.
The ingredients are listed in descending order – from the first ingredient (which is the the most amount in the packaged food) to the last ingredient (which is least amount in the packaged food).
How is the ingredients list displayed?
The ingredients list is displayed on most food packages (other than those exempted by Food Standards Australia), somewhere near the nutrition label – usually above the nutrition label, but can be displayed elsewhere.
In Australia, there is a requirement to display the percentage of each ingredient item. This requirement was put in place to give consumers informed choices about the food they purchase.
What is the purpose of showing the ingredients list?
The ingredients list is displayed so consumers know which foods (plus preservatives/colours/flavours) make up the food they are eating, plus the amount of each food.
This is especially important for those people who are selecting foods that have:
- higher nutritional values
- less fat
- more natural ingredients
- less preservatives and other artificial ingredients
- are dieting and need to know the ingredients if they are avoiding certain things
What is a serving size?
The serving size shows the amount of the food that is recommended for one serving. The nutrition label lists the nutrients for each serving size. The serving size is a standardised value that allows foods to be compared for various nutrient values and energy.
The number of servings (per package) is also displayed on each nutrition label.
As a standard, a serving size of 100g is also displayed on nutrition labels, irrespective of the serving size portion.
How is serving size displayed?
The serving size (and the number of serves per package) is usually displayed at the top of the nutritional label.
What is the purpose of displaying serving size?
The serving size is displayed to allow consumers to be aware of the following:
- the amount of the food that is recommended for one serving
- the values of nutrients in the serving size
- how many servings are in the package
The purpose of displaying the serving size is to allow consumers to understand how much of the packaged food they are eating as well as the calorie content of the recommended serving size.
