Uncovering the Secrets of Food Labels
This section is where you will uncover food label secrets. You will learn about all the different information that can be found on food labels, find out what all the tricky words mean and work out if a food item really is healthy. You will even discover how food companies try to trick you into believing one food item is healthier than another.
Stop and Think
Before you delve into the secrets of food labels and packaging, here are some things you should consider and think about as you go:
- What sort of words or images do companies use to make me think the food item is healthy?
- What food items have I seen that use these words or images?
- How do I know if a food item is healthy?
- What should I look for when trying to choose a healthy food item?
- What information on a food item can I trust to be true?
Food Labels
This video explains how you can work out how healthy or nutritious a food product is. It looks at the words used on the front of a food product and also the nutritional facts found on the food label. |
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This next video shows how children become food detectives by reading the food labels on different products. By reading the labels and comparing the nutritional facts, such as fat, calcium or sodium values, they are able to work out which product may be the healthier alternative. This is something you can try with the food products you find in your pantry or on your next shopping trip.
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So far, we have looked at labels which tell us about the nutritional information of food products. It is also important to look at what a food has been made from. The things that go into a food product are called 'Ingredients'. Located close to the nutritional information, you can find a list of ingredients that have been used to create a food product.
Looking at the ingredients list is another great way to find out if a food product is what it says it is, or if it is a healthy food choice. If the first three ingredients contain fats, sugars or salts, you can be pretty sure that this is not a healthy food product. And, if you can't even pronounce most of the ingredients, then again, it's probably not a healthy food option.
Looking at the ingredients list is another great way to find out if a food product is what it says it is, or if it is a healthy food choice. If the first three ingredients contain fats, sugars or salts, you can be pretty sure that this is not a healthy food product. And, if you can't even pronounce most of the ingredients, then again, it's probably not a healthy food option.
This video will show you why it is so important to look at the ingredients list. Surely, if a food product is raspberry flavoured, it should contain raspberries? Be warned, that is not always the case, as you will now see. |
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Talking Nutrition
So, now you know where to find the nutritional information about a food item, but what do all the words on the label mean?
Visit the Talking Nutrition Encyclopedia to find out.
Here are some common words found on food labels and packaging:
Added Salt Daily Recommendations Glucose Sodium
Added Sugar Fats Ingredient Sugar
Calcium Fibre Portion Size
Carbohydrate Fructose Protein
Cholesterol Glucose Serving Size
Visit the Talking Nutrition Encyclopedia to find out.
Here are some common words found on food labels and packaging:
Added Salt Daily Recommendations Glucose Sodium
Added Sugar Fats Ingredient Sugar
Calcium Fibre Portion Size
Carbohydrate Fructose Protein
Cholesterol Glucose Serving Size
Marketing to ChildrenAs you can see, it can be tricky to work out whether a food item is actually healthy. Here is some information that explains the three vital things you need to pay attention to when selecting food products.
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This information tells you about how food companies advertise their food items to children. They make their products fun and exciting, but often the food is not very healthy. Knowing these advertising and packaging tricks, means that you can make better choices about the foods you eat.
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Click the Healthy Eating Challenges button to put your knowledge to the test.