Read Nutrition Labels

Safefood

To make healthier choices, you need to be able to make sense of food labels.

Understanding food labels can be tricky. It takes time and practice. Start at home by getting familiar with labels on the foods you eat regularly. Then when you are shopping, compare labels of similar products to find the healthiest option. Here are the things to look out for.

What’s on the label?

Nutrition information can be found on the back/side of food labels. Sometimes you will also find a snapshot of this information on the front of pack.

Nutrition information is displayed per 100g and sometimes per recommended serving. Use the per 100g column to compare products. Look at the recommended portion size. This may be more or less than what you actually eat.

How do I know if a food is low, medium or high in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt?

Some labels use colour coding to show at a glance if a food is high, medium or low in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.

  • Low (green) - the best choice
  • Medium (amber) - okay most of the time
  • High (red) - only choose occasionally
  • If the label isn’t colour coded, use our label decoder as a guide.

 

Low (green)

Medium (amber)

High (red)

Fat

3g or less

Between 3g and 17.5g

Over 17.5g

Saturated fat

1.5g or less

Between 1.5g and 5g

Over 5g

Sugars

5g or less

Between 5g and 22.5g

Over 22.5g

Salt

0.3g or less

Between 0.3g and 1.5g<

Over 1.5g

The fibre content is important when you are looking at foods such as bread, cereals, pasta and rice. High fibre is 6g or more per 100g.

Nutrition claims

Some products claim to be ‘low in fat’ or a ‘source of fibre’ – but these claims don’t mean the food is the healthiest option. It is best to look at all nutrients before making a decision.

Useful resources

This course is about eating well and keeping healthy if you’re staying at home more since...
Your dietitian will look at any food and drink provision for staff including: canteen or...
Cancer Focus NI, Keeping Well vans are mobile drop-in units which bring health checks,...
Vital Nutrition’s Healthy Shift Workers workshop provides employees with a practical plan...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
This course will provide you with some information about sport and exercise nutrition –...
BDA will enrich your events with food demos, health and nutrition check-ups, competitions...
Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan is known for her down-to-earth, practical approach to...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
Fat is an essential nutrient in our diet but may often be thought about negatively and...
We will enrich your events with food demos, health and nutrition check-ups, competitions...
Vital Nutrition specialises in developing bespoke, tailor made nutritional programmes to...
Certified by the AfN. This course is for those with an interest in nutrition and would be...
Cancer Focus NI can provide a wide range of presentations to meet the needs of your...
This course is for midwives and aims to explain the science behind the different types of...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
Do you want to eat in a way that helps you reach your ideal weight, gives you boundless...
This course will provide you with the basic nutrition knowledge and practical tools...
Taste Buds is a resource that helps children aged 8 to 11 enjoy learning about the...
The Quick Fit programme offers positive steps to improve your health through diet and...
This course is aimed at pharmacists and aims to explain the science behind the different...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
This course will provide you with the basic knowledge to help you adopt a healthier and...
Your Work Ready dietitian will visit your organisation. They will ask what you want, see...
Are you often too tired to cook? Not organised enough to have breakfast and lunch sorted...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
This course would be of particular use to health professionals and students wanting to...
We will enrich your events with food demos, health and nutrition check-ups, competitions...
Here at Vital Nutrition, we work with schools all over Northern Ireland to help inspire...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
Vital Nutrition offers a complete range of corporate health and workplace wellbeing...
This course provides caterers, food service providers and catering students with the...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
MediaWise is a FREE media literacy resource, designed by primary school teachers and...
Certified by the AfN. This course is for those who already have a basic knowledge of...
Fun, fast food for less. This is a practical six-week nutrition programme aimed at...
This course is aimed at practice nurses and aims to explain the science behind the...
We all have good and bad days but what and when we eat can influence our mood, energy,...
Develop healthier eating habits, be more active, and get on track to start losing weight...
Our free Easy Meals app is a great way to eat foods that are healthier for you. You’ll...
Food diary, exercise tracker and diet coach
Nutrition scanner
Use this calculator to check your body mass index (BMI) and find out if you are a healthy weight. Or, use it to check your child's BMI centile.