Understanding food labels

If you’re not sure how much of a food to eat, have a look at the food label. Food labels appear on all packaged foods and drinks.

Top tips

Weekly shop

When food-shopping compare the information on the labels and choose the products with fewer calories per portion. You can also do this if you shop online.

Look at the ingredients

Another way to judge how much fat or sugar is in packaged food is to look at the 'ingredients' list. The further down the list it is, the less it contains.

On the go?

If you buy food on the go, or eat out, some restaurants and food outlets are also labelling their food and non-alcoholic drinks, so it’s easier to make a choice.

High and low?

Use our ‘high/low’ guide below to get an idea of what’s high in fat and sugar – why not write it down and take it shopping with you?

Look out for the traffic lights on food labels

Some food labels use a traffic-light system which makes it easier to choose food that is lower in fat and sugar. Choose more ’greens’ and ’ambers’ and fewer 'reds'.