Nutritional Fun Facts.

Our nutritionists have been digging deeper into food labelling, and would like to share some insight regarding the terms we see on packaging.

Are they always as straightforward as they sound?

Organic:

Organic food is produced under specific organic production rules. In general, a product labelled organic must contain at least 95% organic agricultural ingredients, with the remaining 5% subject to specific conditions.

No added sugar:

It means no sugars have been added during manufacture – but it doesn’t mean sugar-free!

Fruit and milk, for example, naturally contain sugars. Some products may also contain sweeteners.

Unsweetened:

Again, this means no sugar or sweetener has been added to make the product taste sweet. It doesn’t mean the product contains no naturally occurring sugars.

Healthy or Good for you:

These aren’t simply free-for-all marketing claims. General health claims about foods need to meet specific requirements and be accompanied by an authorised health claim where applicable.

Fat Free:

A product can only make a fat-free claim when it contains no more than 0.5g of fat per 100g or 100ml. A “90% fat-free” isn’t permitted as a claim.

Alcohol-free:

This term has a specific threshold — the product must contain **no more than 0.05% alcohol.

Some of the team struggled to understand Alcohol Free 😉

Reduced salt

This isn’t just a marketing phrase. A reduced-nutrient claim generally requires a minimum 30% reduction, compared with a similar product

High in fibre

The food must contain at least 6g of fibre per 100g or 3g per 100 kcal.

Light or Lite:

The product generally needs to be at least 30% lower in a relevant value, such as energy or fat, compared with the standard version.

Low salt:

The product must contain no more than 0.12g sodium per 100g or 100ml (with the equivalent salt value)

Source of protein / High protein

Source of protein” means at least 12% of the food’s energy comes from protein. High protein” requires at least 20%.

 

And then there are phrases like *Farm Fresh” that can sound reassuring however, there is no legal definition to ‘Farm Fresh.

So, the lesson here is, don’t just read the front of the packet. Read the label.

The marketing might catch your eye, but the nutrition declaration and ingredients list tell you much more about what’s actually in the food.

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