Learning how to read and understand food labels can help you make healthier choices. Not all processed foods are created equal. If you look at what is in packaged foods and understand the information on a Nutritional Information Panel (NIP) it can help you make healthier food choices for you and your whānau.
- You can usually find the ingredient list on the back of packaged food. Ingredients contained in the product are listed in order from the largest to the smallest amount.
- Sugar and fat are often listed in the ingredient list under different names. Common names for sugar added to foods are corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, honey, invert sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup and treacle.
- Common names for fat added to foods are butter, coconut cream, cream, hydrogenated vegetable fat, lard, margarine, oil, trans fats, triglycerides and vegetable oil.
- Reading food labels is also important if you need to avoid certain allergens. Labels must clearly show if a food contains major allergens, eg, shellfish, egg, fish, gluten, milk, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, sulphites and tree nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts).
Learn more about reading food labels. The following are food label reading apps suitable for Aotearoa New Zealand.
