Food labels are useful in deciding whether a food fits into your daily meal plan. A lot of information can be found on a food label. Food labels tell us what sort of food is inside the package, the amount of food in it, the country of origin and details of the manufacturer and local distributor. They also let us know what ingredients make up the food and sometimes give us an idea of the nutritional value of the food.

Facts About Ingredients List

    The ingredient list is like a recipe - it tells you what is in the food. You can tell a lot about a food just by looking at the ingredients. Ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight. So, the first ingredient in the list is present in the highest amount, followed by the second, then the third and so on.

    Let’s look at the ingredient list on a loaf of bread as as example. Ingredients : High protein flour, water, granulated cane sugar, vegetable shortening, baker’s yeast, salt, soy flour, dough conditioners, vitamin C, calcium, iron, calcium propionate.

    High protein flour is the first ingredient listed so it is present in the greatest amount, followed by water, sugar, and vegetable shortening. Vitamin C, calcium and iron have also been added. Quite often, sugar, fat and sodium can appear in different forms e.g. sugar may appear as dextrose, maltose, and sucrose; fat may appear as ghee, lard, vegetable oil, and shortening; while salt may appear as sodium bicarbonate, baking powder and MSG.