Reading food labels

Food labels tell you what's really in your food. Reading them well helps you make healthier choices and see through marketing tricks.

Food labels give you insight into what a product contains — including calories, macronutrients (such as protein, fats, and carbohydrates), vitamins, and minerals. They can help you:

• Understand what you're eating: You learn which nutrients you're consuming and in what amounts.
• Compare products: By comparing labels, you can make healthier choices between different brands or types of food.
• Spot unhealthy additives: You can see whether a product contains a lot of added sugars, salt, or unhealthy fats.

How to read a food label

A label has two main sections:

Ingredients list (in order by weight)

• The first three ingredients determine the make-up of the product.
• Sugar has many names: glucose syrup, dextrose, HFCS, honey.

Nutrition table (usually per 100 g/ml)

• Energy (kcal), fat — of which saturates, carbohydrates — of which sugars, protein, fibre, salt.
• Comparing per 100 g is always fair.

Food labels contain several sections you can use to assess how healthy a product is. Here are the key elements and what to look out for:

Serving size

The information on the label is based on a specific serving size. It's important to know what one serving is, so you can calculate the nutritional values based on what you actually eat.

Tips:

• Check the serving size and compare it with how much you plan to eat.
• Watch out for products that list a small serving size to make the numbers on the label look lower.

Calories

Calories indicate how much energy you get from a serving of the food. This is important for weight management and planning a balanced diet.

Tips:

• Note the number of calories per serving and calculate how many you'd consume if you eat more than one serving.
• Use this information to manage your total daily calorie intake.

Macronutrients

This section includes protein, carbohydrates (including sugars and fibre), and fats (saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats).

Protein

Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle. Choose products that contain a good amount of protein per serving (1.2–2 g/kg/day).

Carbohydrates

Pay attention to the amounts of fibre and sugar. Fibre is beneficial for digestion, while added sugars should be kept low (less than 25 g of added sugar per day).

Fats

Saturated and trans fats can contribute to heart disease. Choose products low in saturated fat and avoid trans fats as much as possible. Keep your saturated fat intake to less than 25 g per day.

Fibre

Fibre is important for healthy digestion. Aim to get more than 25 g of fibre per day.

Salt

Keep your salt intake to a maximum of 2 g per day to maintain healthy blood pressure.

Ingredients list

The ingredients list shows what's in the product, in order of quantity. This means the first ingredient makes up the largest part of the product.

Tips:

• Look at the first few ingredients to get an idea of what you're mainly eating.
• Avoid products with long lists of hard-to-pronounce ingredients and artificial additives.
• Watch out for hidden sugars, which can appear under many names such as fructose, glucose, dextrose, and sucrose.

Micronutrients and additives

Food labels often also include information about micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. It's worth choosing foods that are rich in essential micronutrients.

Tips:

• Look for products that are a good source of vitamins and minerals.
• Watch out for preservatives, colourings, and additives. Try to avoid products with many artificial additions.

Hidden sugars and additives

Look carefully for hidden sugars in your food. Ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are often added to processed foods and can contribute to health problems such as obesity.

Tips:

• Avoid products containing high fructose corn syrup and other forms of added sugar.
• Read labels carefully to identify and avoid hidden sugars.
• Watch out for preservatives, colourings, and additives. Try to avoid products with many artificial additions.

Extra tips for reading food labels

• Hidden sugars: Anything ending in "-ose" is probably a sugar.
• Preservatives and colourings: The longer the list, the more processed the product.
• Ignore misleading claims: Be wary of marketing claims such as "low-fat," "sugar-free," or "natural." These claims don't always mean a product is healthy. Always check the label to see what's actually in it.
• Compare similar products: Use labels to compare similar products and choose the healthier option. Look for differences in calories, sugar, fat, and fibre content. A scanning app (e.g. Kies ik gezond?) can be useful.

Important! Always read the small print. Natural, minimally processed food often has the shortest label.

Conclusion

Reading labels makes you a more informed shopper. Check the ingredients first, look at the nutritional values per 100 g, and ignore misleading claims. That way, you can easily choose the healthiest option. Good luck!

Learn more

• Voedingscentrum - Reading labels
• Gezond leven - How the label helps you choose healthily