Reading a Label
Manufacturers attempt to attract clients who have become increasingly aware of what goes into a balanced diet. Companies wrap their products with labels which present the usual “health” babble such as “low in calories”, “salt free”, “low sodium”, “cholesterol free”, “light”, “natural”, “organic”, “low on fat”, “a good source of iron”, and so on, thus only confusing the consumer with torrents of linguistic and dietary gibberish.
In order to prevent deceptive labeling, the government issued a series of guidelines and rules pertaining to the meaning of words, thus ensuring the use of the same vocabulary by everyone. The nutritional data provided on labels has been standardized, and specific descriptions are now provided for a whole range of food names. To help you “read” food before buying it, we shall provide you with a detailed description of this nutritional prose.
List of Ingredients
We should first distinguish between the list of ingredients that is inevitably featured on nearly all food products, and the nutritional information table. The list of ingredients only enumerates the ingredients included in a product. It provides no information on the product’s nutritional value, nor does it inform on the quality of these ingredients. Ingredients are named in decreasing order, with the first one on the list being the ingredient that appears in the highest quantity in the food, and the last one being the ingredient that appears in the lowest quantity. If you buy cereal, for example, make sure that the grain (wheat, oats, bran, barley, etc.) comes first, not the sugar.
The list of ingredients also enables you to determine the presence of flavor, additives or a product to which you are highly sensitive (allergic). For example, if the product contains monosodium glutamate, food additives and color, they should also be on the list. If the word “natural” is featured on the product, read the list of ingredients; you may therefore see whether the word “natural” refers to flavor, to a single ingredient or to the whole product. It should be noted that if you read “natural source” on the label, the ingredients may be natural but the cooking or manufacturing processes may not be.
Nutritional Information Table
Unlike the list of ingredients, the nutritional information table is not mandatory. Manufacturers thus voluntarily add it to a product’s label. However, new market trends and the increasing demands of consumers have led more and more manufacturers to provide this information, which is also used as a promotional tool. Moreover, if the product’s label includes a statement regarding its nutritional value (“low-salt”, “a good source of…”, etc.) the manufacturer must provide nutritional data. Though the addition of this table is left to the manufacturer’s discretion, its content, however, is the object of strict control of Health Canada with regards to the wholesomeness, quality and labeling of foods.
In order to comply with the rules, the table must include basic nutritional data, which includes:
- energy value in terms of calories and kilojoules;
- protein content;
- fat content (lipids);
- carbohydrate content.
The table must be titled “Nutritional Information” and must be followed by the description of an individual serving (in grams or milliliters). The quantity of basic nutrients must be provided for the same serving. Other elements can be added to this basic list. Types of fats are also grouped under either “fats” or “lipids”, and can be detailed (polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, saturated, cholesterol) while providing quantities of each per serving. If the manufacturer prints claims regarding cholesterol levels on the label, he is required to list the four individual components and their respective quantities per serving.
Starch, sugars and dietary fiber may also be found in the carbohydrate section.
Sodium and potassium contents may also be listed, but if one of these elements is listed, the other should be listed as well.
The contents of vitamins and minerals must be provided as a percentage of the recommended daily intake (RDI). This percentage indicates the portion of vitamins or minerals provided by the food compared to the maximum recommended intake for an average adult (excluding pregnant women).
It is therefore important to take the time to read labels in order to compare, for example, the fat or protein contents of different products. Two products may have the same price, but one may be a better nutritional choice.
The nutritional information table must be presented in the following way, and should include all or part of these elements. Nutrients are generally presented in the order in which they appear below.
Cholesterol-free Products
The name is trendy and advertisements show us the great advantages of “cholesterol free” products. With their special labels, these “health” products draw the attention of health-conscious consumers.
However, more often than not, these products are the result of more or less clever marketing ploys. The result is that we now find bottles of oil, cracker boxes and even cereal boxes bearing the inscription cholesterol-free”. This should come as no surprise, since vegetable oil and cereal do not contain cholesterol! In fact, only foods of animal origin such as dairy products, meat, eggs and certain tropical oils contain cholesterol. It is therefore pointless to pay more for cholesterol-free cereal. Moreover, one should be wary of cholesterol-free, yet oily chips or French fries. The absence of cholesterol is no guarantee that the food is healthy. Certain cholesterol-free foods contain plenty of fat and sodium, and hardly any nutrients.
Food-related Vocabulary
Apart from the list of ingredients and the table of nutritional information, the label provides information on flavor, texture and nutritional value of the product (“good source of fiber”, “excellent source of vitamin C” or “low cholesterol”).
Labels are full of healthy promises. To put some order into all these descriptive names and claims, the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada defined the most common terms used as sales arguments by manufacturers.
Moreover, the law strictly forbids the use of claims that associate a food with preventive treatment or remedy for a disease, disorder or physical abnormality.
The table on the following page contains the precise meaning of several nutritional claims. The terms “organic”, “natural” or “cold-pressed oil” are the object of complete texts elsewhere in this guide.
There is Light, and There is Light
“Light” is fashionable, but “light” products are not always “light”. The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says that food bearing this label must have at least a 25 % reduction in energy kilocalories or kilojoules (kJ) – in fats, sugar or salt. However, one should take the time to read the label, as the term “light” sometimes applies not to the product, but to the taste, texture or flavor, while calories remain unchanged. The best example would be a light fruit puff pastry made of rich dough and heavily sweetened jam!… lol
The terms “low calorie”, “diet” and “low salt” may only be used when sugar and salt contents have been cut by 50 %. Low-calorie food should not contain more than 12 calories (72 kJ) per serving.
Calorie-free food should not contain more than 1 calorie per 100 g. However, if the manufacturer claims that his product is “a good source of energy”, it means that the product contains at least 100 calories per serving, and this information should be provided in the nutritional information table.
Finally, “lean” meats and cheeses should not contain more than 10% fat (shown as a percentage on the packaging), except for ground meat, for which the accepted fat content is higher, i.e. 17% for lean meat, 23% for semi-lean meat and 30% for regular meat.
Calories, Kilocalories and Kilojoules
Kilojoules (kJ) are a measuring unit for mechanical energy, whereas kilocalories (kcal or cal) refer to thermal energy (heat). Energy contained in food is mainly used as fuel for muscular contraction; this contraction produces heat and ensures the maintenance of body heat. The conversion factor is: 1 kilocalorie = 1 calorie = 4.184 kilojoules, generally rounded up to 4.2.
So, reading labels and understanding what you are reading is almost something that only a well-educated person would be able to do, right?
Yes, government agencies have rules and regulations, but are they followed by manufacturers to a “T”?
This is why it is so important that you include good wholesome foods in your daily intake as much as possible. Nature doesn’t play tricks on you. An apple is an apple. However, regarding meat we need to be more careful since some genetically created meat are on the rise.
Have a nice weekend!
Your friendly neighbourhood Natural Health Practitioner
Carole
