Navigating Nutrition Labels: 7 Ways to make informed food choices

The consumer generally goes through the labels of the product while purchasing the food items. They can procure the nutritional information from the label which helps them to choose the desired and healthy food product while purchasing.

This labelled information very much helps and makes purchasing easy for consumers.

Mostly, the labels give detailed nutritional values of the food product displayed for sale. This nutritional information mostly consists of energy values of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals etc. This information helps the consumer in selecting the required food item.

The following are the  steps to be taken while selecting food products:

• Information regarding statutory body: The consumer while selecting the food product should ensure the food products have attained FSSAI, ISI or equivalent statutory body’s approval. There are different approvals for packed & processed foods such as packed mineral water, food items, and milk products. The agricultural products have a different statutory approval mark such as AGMARK. The products under this mark include vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses, oil, spices & non-vegetarian items. Some products come under fortified foods such as wheat flour, rice, salt etc. The consumer should verify these approvals for different categories of food items before selection.

• Verification of date of manufacture & expiry: As per the requirement of the statutory agencies, it is compulsory for the manufacturer of food items to print clearly & in bold font the date of manufacturing & date of expiry. In some cases, instead of the date of expiry, the manufacturer prints best before the use date. The consumer is therefore expected to be alert & verify these dates to protect their & their family’s health. 
• Check for the contents in the product: Sometimes, the ingredients present in the product may not be suitable for some people or they may have an allergy to these ingredients. So, the consumers should thoroughly go through the contents/ingredients label carefully such that the contents do not cause allergy to them. Some products such as milk, eggs, fish, shellfish & nuts should be purchased cautiously. In some cases, even small quantities of these allergy-causing ingredients may result in severe allergic reactions.

• Label regarding weight & quantum: It is mandatory to print the weight in kcal or grams or liquid content in millilitres/litre. The consumer should ensure this before purchasing the product.

• Information regarding energy & nutritive values: The packed food products are labelled with energy & nutritive value in terms of a calorie per serving or kcal of each nutrient. The most commonly mentioned nutrients are protein, carbohydrates, fats, calcium, sodium etc.

• Material of packaging: The material of packaging is very important as different food products are stored, and assembled in different ways & they are handled differently in the production line. Some food products are to be packed in such a way that they are not exposed to the atmosphere & avoid contamination. Some products must be protected from sun rays or bright light to avoid reactions and contamination.

• Information regarding chemical contents: The statutory authorities related to food & food products have given directives regarding the non-usage of banned food-grade chemicals The food-grade chemicals are used in salad dressings, pudding, cake, chocolate, bakery products etc. Consumers are cautioned to check the chemicals used in these food products as mentioned on the pack to avoid health hazards.

Following the above-mentioned steps, it will help you to easily make wise food choices while purchasing a food product.  As it is said, “Prevention is better than cure”, it should be applied while buying food products to protect yourself and your near & dear ones from non-communicable diseases.