Food labelling - Back and front of pack labelling:

Question 1

Back-of-pack labelling - Mandatory

Answer 1

Mandatory (Per 100 g / ml – may also be displayed as per portion)
* Energy value -kJ and kcal (kJ = Metric measurements, 1kcal = 4.18 k,
NB: When talking about calories in food we use kcal; there are actually 1000 calories in a kcal)
* Fat (g)
o Saturates (to work out unsaturated and saturated, look at the difference between saturates and total fat = unsaturated)
* Carbohydrates
o Sugars (total carbohydrate = starch + sugars, free sugars = any sugar that is considered partly processed or very rapidly absorbed, e.g. glucose, fructose, sucrose, fructose and glucose syrup. Includes fructose and glucose content of juices but not whole fruit)
* Protein
* Salt (sodium chloride)

Question 2

Back of pack labelling - Voluntary

Answer 2

The following can be included but is voluntary:
* Mono unsaturated and polyunsaturates (go back to the ingredient list to see where oil and fats are coming from e.g. good or bad)
* Polyols - used as sweeteners (polyols = sugar alcohol (but contain no sugar or alcohol). They are types of carbohydrates but don’t contain sucrose. They are sweeteners that contain 40% less calories e.g. sorbitol, manitol, xylitol)
* Starch (total carbohydrate is mandatory and gives an indication of starch content)
* Fibre
* Any vitamins or minerals providing 15% or more of the nutrient reference value (NRV) is contained per 100 g / ml, or per serving, depending which is smallest. For example, to declare calcium in 30 g of cheese, the 30 g serving must contain 15% x 800 mg = 120 mg of calcium (800 mg is the NRV for calcium)
NRV = the daily quantities of vitamins and minerals required in the diet to maintain good health

Question 3

Reference intakes (RIs)

Answer 3

Reference intakes (RIs) are set by European law and replace Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) on food labelling.
* RIs show the maximum amount of calories, macronutrients and salt that should be consumed in a day
* The term GDA suggested that these were specific amounts for people to aim for, so RIs are used instead to indicate that they are not targets
* RIs are guidelines to help people make food choices and create balance in their diet
* The % of RIs present in packaged food can be displayed either on the front or the back of the pack – this is voluntary
* The amount of calories and nutrients the product contains is expressed as a percentage of the daily RI on the food label
* RIs are based on an average-sized woman doing an average amount of physical activity

Question 4

Reference intake (RI) amounts:

Answer 4

• The RIs that can be used for food packaging for an average adult are:
  o Energy: 2000 kcal / 8400 kJ
  o Fat: less than 70 g, of which saturates 20 g
  o Carbohydrate :260 g (= aim), of which sugars 90 g (e.g. refined carbs/sugars)
  o Protein: 50 g
  o Salt: less than 6 g

Question 5

Front-of-pack Labelling

Answer 5

• Front of pack labelling, such as the traffic light systems used by some supermarkets, is voluntary
• If a company chooses to provide this repeat information, it must be in one of the following formats:
  o Energy value (kJ and kcal alone)
  o Energy value (kJ and kcal) plus amounts (in grams) of fat, saturates, sugars and salt