Understanding Food Labels

Labels, claims and endorsements are used by food companies to highlight and display the information that they want the public to see about the product. It is often the case that food labels focus on the positive elements of the product, but fail to tell the whole story about what is in the food. It is important that consumers are able to interpret the information accurately and read between the lines.

There are many types of nutrition information found on food packets allowing plenty of opportunity for manufacturers to promote the health and nutrition benefits of their products.  This type of labelling also opens the door for creating misleading impressions and smoke-and-mirrors claims. Children's food products are just as likely to display half truths on the front of packets as any other foods in the supermarket.

To learn how to read a nutrition label, try The Parents' Jury Nutrition Guide for Shoppers.

See the links below for further information: