Developing Healthy Choices Lesson 5 Reading Food Labels Traffic light system on food labels Suitable for Curriculum for Excellence Benchmark for Food an Health, Developing Healthy Choices Scottish System of Education

1. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Reading Food Labels

2. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Be able to identify
and interpret
information on food
labels.
Be able to use food
and drink labels to
make healthier
choices.
Be able to interpret
food labels to
identify those that
are high or low in fat,
salt and sugar
To show progress today I should …

3. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Food packaging
Why do most foods and drinks come in a package?
Packaging:
• protects food or drink from damage or spilling;
• keeps it safe from bacteria, pollution or vermin;
• gives us information about the food or drink.
What food or drink have you had recently
that came in packaging?
What can you see on this food package?

4. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Cornflakes
Once opened store in an airtight container
for best before date: see top of pack
Nutrition
T
ypical values
per
100g
(without
milk)
per 30g
serving
(without
milk)
per 30g
serving
(with 125ml
of semi-
skimmed
milk)
Energy kj 1636 491 742
Energy kcal 386 116 175
Fat 1.2g <0.5g 2.6g
of which
saturates 0.6g 0.2g 1.6g
mono-unsaturates 0.3g 0.1g 0.6g
polyunsaturates 0.3g 0.1g 0.1g
Carbohydrate 83.9g 25.2g 31.2g
of which
sugar 6.6g 2.0g 8.0g
starch 77.3g 23.2g 23.2g
Fibre 3.4g 1.0g 1.0g
Protein 8.1g 2.4g 6.9g
Salt 0.95g 0.29g 0.42g
Ingredients
Maize (93%), Sugar, Salt, Barley Malt Extract,
Niacin, Vitamin E, Ferric Diphosphate,
Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Vitamin B,
T
hiamin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12
AL
L
ERGY ADVICE:
For allergens, see ingredients in bold.
Also not suitable for customers with an allergy
to nuts, milk, soya, wheat, rye, oats spelt or
kamut due to manufacturing methods.
500g ℮
Produced in France
Labels
Most labels would show:
• name;
• weight/volume;
• date mark (‘use by’ or ‘best before’);
• ingredients;
• country of origin;
• storage instructions;
• allergens.
What information would you expect to see on a food or drink label?
The information about food is shown on its label.
Can you see these on this label?
If you have any food packaging nearby, take a look.
Can you see any of this information on the labels?

5. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Labels and healthier choices
They tell us what is in the food or drink so
we can choose.
How can labels help us make
healthier choices?
Generally we need to eat less…
• fats
• sugars
• salt
We can use food labels to check how much
of these are in our food and drinks.
NUTRITION
TYPICAL VALUES
AS PREPARED
PER
100g
PER ½
PACK (242g)
Energy kj 766 1853
Energy kcal 184 446
Fat 13.1g 31.6g
of which saturates 4.3g 10.3g
Carbohydrate 4.9g 11.9g
of which sugars 3.4g 8.1g
Fibre 1.1g 2.7g
Protein 11.1g 26.9g
Salt 0.90g 2.17g

6. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Labels and healthier choices
Why are there two amounts for each?
One amount is for 100g of the food and
the other is for a portion.
Have a look at a food package.
How much salt does it have per 100g
and per portion?
How much fat, sugars and salt are in
this food?
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
100g Approx.
7 crackers
(25g)
Energy 2090 kj 522 kj
500 kcal 125 kcal
Fat 23 g 5.8 g
of which
saturates
10.5 g 2.6 g
Carbohydrate 63.5 g 16 g
of which sugars 8.8 g 2.2 g
Fibre 2.2 g 0.6 g
Protein 7.7 g 1.9 g
Salt 1.38 g 0.34 g

7. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Information per 100g and per portion
Labels give us the information per 100g so we can compare different
foods.
The labels often give us the information for the size of a portion as
well, because that is the amount we are more likely to eat.
Per 100g Per 45g
serving
Energy 1597kj/ 719kj/
378kcal 170kcal
Fat 5.8g 2.6g
of which saturates 0.8g 0.4g
Carbohydrate 67g 30g
of which sugars 22g 9.9g
Fibre 7.0g 3.2g
Protein 11g 5.0g
Salt 0.25g 0.13g

8. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Information per 100g and per portion
What do you notice about the amount
of fat in 100g compared with a portion
of spread?
The 100g amount is there to help us
compare it to other foods but we
wouldn't eat 100g of spread.
The portion helps us see how much
fat would be in an amount we would
be more likely to eat.
If you have a food or drink package nearby, take a look!
How much fat does it have per 100g and per portion?
Nutrition Information (Typical values)
Per 100g Per portion
Energy 1158 kj/281 kcal 116 kj/28 kcal
Fat 30 g 3 g
- of which saturates 6.4 g 0.6 g
- monounsaturates 7.7 g 0.8 g
- polyunsaturates 16 g 1.6 g
Carbohydrates 2.8 g <0.5 g
of which sugars <0.5 g <0.5 g
Protein <0.5 g <0.5 g
Salt 1.3 g 0.13 g

9. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Choosing healthier options
Labels show us the information per 100g so we can compare different foods.
It is healthier to choose foods that are low in fat, sugars and salt.
How do we know if foods are low or high in fat, sugars and salt?
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Fat More than 17.5g 3g or less
Sugars More than 22.5g 5g or less
Salt More than 1.5g 0.3g or less
This table shows us whether a food is high or low in fat, sugars and salt per 100g.

10. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
This food is high in fat.
It contains 32.9g of fat
per 100g of food.
Look at this label. Is this food high or low in fat?
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Fat More than 17.5g 3g or less
Remember to look
at the 100g column
Read the amount for Fat
(not ‘of which saturates’)

11. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
NURTITION INFORMATION
Typical composition
when cooked
Per 100g
per ½ pizza
serving
Energy 1109kj 1875kj
265kcal 447kcal
Fat 11g 19g
of which saturates 5g 8g
Carbohydrate 27g 45g
of which sugars 2.5g 4.3g
Protein 13g 22g
Salt 0.9g 1.5g
This food is low in sugars.
It contains 2.5g of sugars
per 100g of food.
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Sugars More than 22.5g 5g or less
The sugars information is under
Carbohydrates
where it says ‘of which sugars’ .
Look at this label. Is this food high or low in sugars?
Look at the 100g column

12. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Typical values
As sold
100g
contains
Half of a bag
(62.5g)
when cooked
contains
Energy 1509kj 943kj
356kcal 222kcal
Fat 1.5g 0.9g
of which saturates 0.2g 0.1g
Carbohydrate 77g 48.1g
of which sugars <0.1g <0.1g
Fibre 1g 0.6g
Protein 8g 5.0g
Salt 0.01g 0.01g
Typical values
100g
contains
6 slices
(30g)
contains
Energy 1651kj 495kj
398kcal 119kcal
Fat 32.9g 9.9g
of which
saturates
11.3g 3.4g
Carbohydrate 1.8g 0.5g
of which sugars 0.6g 0.2g
Fibre 0.7g 0.2g
Protein 23.4g 7.0g
Salt 3.9g 1.2g
This food is high in salt.
It contains 3.9g per 100g of food.
This food is low in salt.
It contains 0.01g per 100g of food.
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Salt More than 1.5g 0.3g or less
Look at these labels to see if the foods are high or low in salt.

13. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
NUTRITION INFORMATION
per 100g
per 30g
serving
Energy 1376kj 412kj
331kcal 99kcal
Fat 24.0g 7.2g
of which saturates 16.4g 5.0g
Carbohydrate 0.1g <0.1g
of which sugars 0.1g <0.1g
Fibre 0.0g 0.0g
Protein 28.6g 8.6g
Salt 1.8g 0.5g
NUTRITION INFORMATION
per 100g
per 30g
serving
Energy 1724kj 517kj
416kcal 125kcal
Fat 34.2g 10.3g
of which saturates 21.3g 6.4g
Carbohydrate 2.1g 0.6g
of which sugars 0.1g 0.1g
Fibre 0.0g 0.0g
Protein 24.9g 7.5g
Salt 1.8g 0.5g
Making choices
It is important to look at our food labels so we can make choices about what we eat.
What do you notice
about the fat
in these two types
of cheddar cheese?
Cheddar cheese
Reduced fat
cheddar cheese
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Fat More than 17.5g 3g or less
They are both high in
fats as they contain
more than 17.5g of fat
per 100g of food.

14. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Per 100g
Per 45g
serving
Energy 1584kj 713kj
375kcal 169kcal
Fat 6.2g 2.8g
of which saturates 0.9g 0.4g
Carbohydrate 65g 29g
of which sugars 16g 7.2g
Fibre 7.8g 3.5g
Protein 11g 5.0g
Salt 0.29g 0.13g
Per 100g
per 45g
serving
Energy 1597kj 719kj
378kcal 170kcal
Fat 5.8g 2.6g
of which saturates 0.8g 0.4g
Carbohydrate 67g 30g
of which sugars 22g 9.9g
Fibre 7.0g 3.2g
Protein 11g 5.0g
Salt 0.25g 0.13g
What do you notice
about the sugar
in these two types
of muesli?
Muesli Reduced sugar muesli
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Sugars More than 22.5g 5g or less
It is important to look at our food labels so we can make choices
about what we eat and drink.
They are neither
High or Low.
They are in the
amber section

15. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Typical values
Per
100g
Per
½ can
Energy 282kj 584kj
67kcal 139kcal
Fat 0.2g 0.4g
of which saturates Trace Trace
Carbohydrate 9.9g 20.5g
of which sugars 2.3g 4.7g
Fibre 3.7g 7.6g
Protein 4.5g 9.4g
Salt 0.4g 0.9g
Typical values Per 100g
Per
serving
(200g)
Energy 359kj 719kj
85kcal 170kcal
Fat 0.2g 0.4g
of which saturates Trace Trace
Carbohydrate 13.6g 27.3g
of which sugars 4.6g 9.3g
Fibre 4.0g 8.1g
Protein 5.1g 10.2g
Salt 0.6g 1.2g
What do you notice
about the salt
in these two types
of baked beans?
Baked beans Reduced salt baked beans
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Salt More than 1.5g 0.3g or less
Making Choices: It is important to look at our food labels so we can
make choices about what we eat and drink.
They are neither
High or Low.
They are in the
amber section

16. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Per 100g of food or drink
High Low
Fat More than 17.5g 3g or less
Sugars More than 22.5g 5g or less
Salt More than 1.5g 0.3g or less
Comparing Food Labels
If you have a food or drink package nearby, take a look!
How much fat, sugar and salt does it have per 100g and per portion?
Can you compare it with another food label?
Which label has the lowest fat, sugar and salt?

17. LEARNING INTENTIONS Students will be e able to interpret food labels to identify those that are high or low in fat, salt and sugar
Credits
Images used under license from Shutterstock.com:- brain cartoon, Tropicana Orange Juice Carton
Images used with permission C-J McErlean (food label pictures)