Knowing about food label :
Every food items come with a label and that label has different meaning and use for different individuals. The label consists of ingredients used, nutritional facts and manufacturing and expiry date of the product. It is important to understand the label for own health concerns.
Nutritional fact table:
The nutritional fact table starts with the serving size per container or packet. The serving size influences the calorie intake and consumption of nutrients. The second part is calorie information. This information shows the energy levels consumed by consuming the product. It is also measured as per the serving size of the product. The calorie information on label is important for weight management.
The third and fourth section contains the nutritional facts of the product. This is critical for evaluation of health benefits by consumption of the product. It contains the percentage of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium component in the product. This information is important for hart patients and high blood pressure patients. The next part is comprises of fiber content, Iron, calcium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C in the product. These are very important and if consumed in correct proportion, improve the health and reduce the risk of some diseases. The high fiber diet promotes the active bowel function. Calcium is pivotal for bone health. Vitamin A and Vitamin C helps preventing diseases like cold and cough.
Foot note :
There is a footnote attached in every label which consists of daily calorie requirements. This is based on standard percentage of daily requirements. This is a mandatory part of every label as stated by Food Corporation of India.
Ingredients:
The ingredients mentioned are also important as it shows what actually a person in consuming. Ingredients are always listed in decreasing order as per the weight. For example the ingredient may contain sugar and prescribed added sugar which means the product may contain corn syrup, fruit juice, sucrose or honey. This information is very relevant for a person who is concerned about sugar intake.
Dates:
The last part of label is comprises of manufacturing date, expiry date, maximum retail price and details of manufactures. This is required to ensure that the product to be consumed is not expired or for how long the product can be stored.
Retail Price :
The maximum retail price is helpful for consumers as they will get to know the value.
Address :
The manufacturers address is important for providing feedback or registering any complaints regarding the product.
The proper understanding of labels can make the consumer aware of all the nutritional and non nutritional facts about the product
We consume food to stay healthy, active and fit in life. It is important for every individual to understand what exactly the label on the packed food stands for as after all it’s our health which may get affected due to negligence towards reading the content of the label.
Stay healthy, Eat healthy and help other to stay healthy and fit
