Today with so many products available in the market people are getting more health-conscious with their lifestyle. We are constantly looking for products that are natural, organic, low fat, sugar free, nutritional or eco-friendly — all key aspects of choosing healthy food as part of everyday food and diet choices.

In order to make healthy food choices, backed by correct nutrition information, we need to understand and correctly interpret the food labels on the food items. Reading labels helps us understand food and nutrition, including protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and food combinations.

There are a few things that belong on every food label, and we’re going to learn about them.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has prescribed specific requirements for what should be included on food packaging labels, ensuring transparency in nutrition information labels and accurate nutrition information on food.

Look for the following:

● Logos –

• FSSAI LOGO with LICENCE NUMBER

• ISI mark for packaged drinking and mineral water and certain processed foods such as infant food, all types of milk powders

• AGMARK for all agricultural products such as vegetable oil, pulses, cereals, spices, honey, fruits and vegetables — many of which are food with high dietary fiber and food that provides protein

• GREEN dot for vegetarian food

• RED dot for non-vegetarian food, including egg

• Logo for fortified food. 'Fortified’ food means essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals have been added to the food. (Eg. Fortification of edible oil with Vitamin D and A — examples of food contain vitamin D3 and food that has vitamin D and calcium)

● Date of Manufacture and Expiry

Always check the ‘Date of Manufacture’ and ‘Date of Expiry’ or ‘Best Before’ date for freshness and knowing the shelf life of the product so as to consume the food before the ‘Best Before’ date or before the ‘Expiry Date’ has lapsed.
Eg. Best before date on bread or expiry date packaged milk pouch)

● List of ingredients

• Check the list of ingredients for:

1. Allergens – Common allergy-causing ingredients include milk protein/casein, tree nuts including peanuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, seafood, soybean, and gluten/wheat protein. Avoid food products that include these ingredients if you are sensitive to them.
   
   

2. Food additives – Check the food additives for artificial/permitted flavouring and colours. (Class I preservatives are preferred over Class II).
   
   

● Instructions about how to use the food

• Read instructions for use if mentioned. Make sure you follow these instructions for best results.
(Eg. Instant cup soup – Pour 150 ml of hot water and stir continuously to avoid lumps).

● Storage instructions

• Read instructions for storage such as where to keep the food product and for how long.
(Eg. Honey – Do not refrigerate)

● Declarations

• Read any claims and declarations for details about clarifications on claims.
(Eg. “MSG free”)

(Nutrition information to be continued in Part 2)

ARTICLE 2: LET'S DECODE A NUTRITION LABEL (Part 2)

Let's understand how to decode the nutrition label to find out if the food is healthy for your body and supports overall food and nutrition needs.

Calories

Check the calories in a single serving and compare it to your total calorie allowance for the day. As per a general dietary allowance, 2,000 calories per day is used to calculate all nutrients.
You can plan your daily meal based on a number of factors, including your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level, while ensuring balance between protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates.

Percent daily value

Percent DV are for the entire day, not just one meal or snack. Daily Values are average levels of nutrients based on a person who eats 2,000 calories a day.
A food item with a 5% DV of fat provides 5% of the total fat that a person who needs 2,000 calories a day should eat.
Use the percent Daily Values (DV) to help understand how a particular food can fit into your daily food and diet plan.

Some terms to understand a nutrition label:

• LOW –
5% or less is 'low'. Aim low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium amounts.

• HIGH –
20% or more is 'high'. Aim high in vitamins, minerals and food with high dietary fiber.

• REDUCED –
At least 25% less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product is 'reduced'.

• GOOD SOURCE –
At least 10 to 19% of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient per serving.

• EXCELLENT SOURCE –
At least 20% or more of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient per serving.

• CALORIE FREE –
Less than five calories per serving.

• FAT FREE / SUGAR FREE –
Less than ½ gram of fat or sugar per serving.

• LOW SODIUM –
140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.

• LOW CALORIE –
40 calories or less per serving.

• LOW CHOLESTEROL –
20 milligrams or less and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

When choosing a food item consider the following points when reading the food label:

• Look for both the serving size (the amount people typically eat at one time) and the number of servings in the package to decide intake.

• Choose food packs with less saturated fat, added sugars and sodium to avoid risk for chronic disease.

• Choose food packs with zero trans fats to avoid risk of cardiac disorders.

• High levels of sodium should also be avoided if you have high blood pressure, renal or cardiac concerns.

• Choose foods containing dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin D, calcium and iron — including food that has vitamin D and calcium and food that provides protein — to maintain good health and reduce chronic disorder risk.

• Foods and beverages with added sugars should be avoided by children under the age of 2, and individuals 2 years and older should consume no more than 10% of daily calories from added sugars.

FAQs

Why is reading nutrition labels important?
Nutrition labels provide essential nutrition information on food, helping you identify protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and calories to support better food and diet choices.

How do food labels help in choosing healthy food?
They allow you to compare products, identify food with high dietary fiber, spot fortified items, and avoid excess sugar, sodium, or unhealthy fats.

Why are vitamins and minerals important in food?
Understanding vitamins and food combinations helps ensure balanced nutrition, especially when choosing items that contain food contain vitamin D3 or calcium for bone health.

What should I look for first on a nutrition information label?
Start with serving size, calories, then move to nutrients like protein, fiber, fats, and key micronutrients listed under nutrition information labels.