Label Facts
Reading and understanding food labels helps us to make informed choices about the foods we eat. Look for the Nutrition Facts table, the ingredient list and any nutrition claims when buying packaged food in Canada. Information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food. Compare the serving size with the amount that you would normally eat.
Use % Daily Value to find out how much of a specific nutrient there is in a food.
This number is the actual amount (quantity) of the nutrient in the serving size listed on the label. Even if the number is zero, it still appears on the label.
Ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, yeast, sugar/glucose-fructose, vegetable oil (canola/soybean), salt, wheat gluten, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, diacetyl tartaric acid, esters of mono & diglycerides, calcium proprionate. Nutrition and Health Claims: Cholesterol Free
The ingredients are listed by weight, from the most to the least.
Nutrient claims can be found on many different food items. Also may include diet-related health claims that show a relationship between diet and a disease or condition.
Use Food Labels to Help You Eat Healthy!
To stay healthy, we must pay careful attention to the foods we eat. Most Canadians need to: ♦ Increase their intake of fibre, calcium, iron, vitamins A & C. ♦ Limit their intake of total fat, saturated & trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt). These nutrients are listed on the Nutrition Facts Table. Food sources can be found in the ingredients list.
Ingredients List:
The ingredients are listed in order by weight, from the most to the least. If fat, sodium or sugar is near the beginning of the list, we should try to limit these foods in our diet. The following list includes words that are examples of ingredients that are called by other names or may be in high concentrations in certain foods: Fat: lard, butter, beef or chicken fat, hydrogenated vegetable oil, coconut or palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, shortening. Sodium (Salt): sodium caseinate, monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrate, baking powder, sodium benzoate, brine, sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, sea salt Sugar: glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, honey, sorbitol, mannitol, galactose, dextrose, molasses, corn syrup Fibre: barley, whole wheat, psyllium fibre, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, prunes, brown rice, almonds, most vegetables and fruit Calcium: milk, yogurt, cheese (all kinds), sardines, salmon (with bones), kale Iron: oysters, liver, lean red meat (especially beef), poultry, dark red meat, tuna fish, salmon, iron fortified cereals, dried beans, whole grains, eggs (especially egg yolks), dried fruits, dark leafy green vegetables Vitamin A: milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, cod and halibut fish oil, orange and dark green fruits and vegetables Vitamin C: green peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe
Nutrition Facts Table:
Serving Size The serving size is based on a specific amount of food. Check to see how this compares to the amount of food that you eat. The serving size on the package may not be the same as the serving size recommended by Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Do not assume the Nutrition Facts information is for the entire package! Watch out for snacks such as granola bars, chips etc. that base their nutrition information on a small serving size that is not what someone would typically eat! Serving sizes of two similar products may be different. Compare the same amount of each product to find out which food is a healthier choice. For example: Honey Oat Cereal Granola Cereal 250 mL (30 g) 125 mL (59 g) 120 calories 229 calories
If you normally eat 250 mL of cereal for breakfast, the Honey Oat Cereal would give you 120 calories compared to 458 calories from the Granola Cereal! Percent Daily Value The percent daily value (% DV) is based on the recommendations for Canadians and uses the highest recommended intake for each age/gender group, not including additional needs for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Percent Daily Value can be used to determine if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient. For example: ♦ A food that has a % DV of 5% or less for fat, sodium or cholesterol would be low in these nutrients ♦ A food that has a % DV of 10% or less for saturated and trans fats would be low in these nutrients ♦ A food that has a % DV of 15% or more for calcium, iron or fibre would be high in these nutrients
What do the Nutrition and Health Claims Mean?
Free –
None or hardly any of this nutrient Sodium-free Cholesterol-free Low fat Low in saturated fat Less than 5 mg sodium per serving size Less than 2 mg of cholesterol and low in saturated fat/trans fat 3 g or less of fat 2 g or less of saturated and trans fat combined Example of health claim: “A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Low –
A small amount of a nutrient
Reduced –
At least 25% less of a nutrient compared with a similar product
Reduced in calories
At least 25% less energy than the food to which it is compared
Source –
Contains a useful amount of the nutrient
Source of Fibre High Source of Fibre Very High Source of Fibre
2 g or more of fibre 4 g or more of fibre 6 g or more of fibre
Light or Lite
Reduced in fat or reduced in calories Light in colour, texture, flavour, alcohol, sodium etc.
No Sugar Added
Does not mean “sugar-free”. Natural sugars may be present, but have not been added to the product.
Adapted from material produced by Health Canada “Nutrition Labelling Toolkit for Educators”, “Using Food Labels” and material previously produced by Nutrition Services, Middlesex-London Health Unit. Distributed by Middlesex-London Health Unit, 663-5317, Ext. 2220. June 2003