Nutrition Labelling and Prevention of High Blood Pressure

1. Nutrition Labelling and Prevention of High Blood Pressure

2. High Blood Pressure 1 in 3 men have high blood pressure- • According to a local survey conducted in 2003/2004, about 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women in Hong Kong have high blood pressure. • People with high blood pressure may not know at its early stage of development and yet untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, etc. 1 in 4 women have high blood pressure -

3. Dietary Modifications for High Blood Pressure Prevention • Lower the intake of sodium can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure. • Lower the intake of saturated fat and trans fat can reduce the risk of developing heart diseases. • Choose foods with lower energy, fat and sugars contents for those who are overweight.

4. Preventing High Blood Pressure and Nutrition Labelling • Using nutrition label can help us to find out the sodium content of food products.

5. Read and Use Nutrition Labels

6. Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label 1 7 Tabular format

7. Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label Linear format (for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)

8. Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels • 1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients specified for labelling) – i.e. energy,protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and sodium. • Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s) (when the nutrition claim is on any type of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be declared as well). • For other nutrients, declaration is voluntary

9. Making Use of Nutrition Label Consumers can: • Compare the nutritional content among different foods for a healthier choice, e.g. choose food that is lower in fat, sodium (or salt) and sugars • Understand the nutritional content of food and estimate their contribution to the overall diet • To meet individual’s dietary needs

10. Three Simple Steps toRead Nutrition Label

11. Three Simple Steps toRead Nutrition Label Step 1 • Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step2 • Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amount Step3 • Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

12. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount offood being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per 100 g (or per 100 mL) of food

13. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount offood being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per serving (the serving size (in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be specified on the package)

14. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount offood being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per package (if the package contains only a single serving)

15. Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amount • Use nutrition label to compare between products • Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food

16. Step 2A: Use nutrition label tocompare between products (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit • Products with nutritional content expresssed in the SAME reference amount If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

17. Step 2A: Use nutrition label tocompare between products (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit • Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

18. Step 2A: Use nutrition label tocompare between products • Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts

19. Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food • The more you eat, the more you get • If you eat 1 serving of biscuit • Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat • If you eat 2 servings of biscuit • Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat

20. Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food • Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL

21. Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food • %NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.

22. Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food • For nutrients that needed to limit their intake • E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars • Look for foods that have lower %NRV • Get enough of nutrients that are good for health • E.g. dietary fibre • Look for foods that have higher %NRV

23. Use Nutrition Label to Choose Healthy Food

25. Principles of Healthy Eating • Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the largest portion of food in every meal. • Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. • Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with high salt, fat and sugar content as well as those which are preserved. • A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including clear soup, fruit juice and tea). • Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts. (Source of information: Department of Health)

26. Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool for Practising Healthy Eating • Nutrition label and nutrition claim can help consumers choose healthier food in accordance with healthy eating principles and the Food Pyramid, e.g. • Choose biscuits lower in fat and sodium (or salt) • Choose dairy products lower in fat • Choose beverages lower in sugars

27. How to Choose Prepackaged Foodto Prevent High Blood Pressure?

28. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods • Take note of relevant nutrition claim as a quick screening tool; and • Take three simple steps to read nutrition label

29. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods • Choose foods with lower sodium and combined amount of saturated fat, trans fat. For those who require weight maintenance, choose foods with lower energy, fat and sugars contents • Nutrition claim only gives a rough idea about the content of a particular nutrient, one should not make a food choice solely on the basis of a nutrition claim. In order to eat healthily, we should take note of other nutrients as well. For example, when buying a product with a “low sodium” claim, one should take note of the content of fat and other nutrients.

30. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods Nutrient content claims on sodium are classified into “Free”, “Very low” and “Low” claims Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims -

31. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label Step 1 • Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step 2 • Read and compare the nutritional content Step 3 • Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV) (If available)

32. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 1)

33. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 2) Corn Flakes D Corn Flakes C

34. Preventing High Blood Pressure – Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 3) Soup E Soup F

35. ENDS

36. Is Salt the Same as Sodium? • Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the chemical name of salt • Majority of sodium intake is from salt • Salt or other sodium-containing food additives, e.g. sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, are often added to canned food and processed food • Sodium itself also presents naturally in milk and cheese

37. How Much Sodium Do We Need? The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends - • The daily intake amount of sodium should not be more than 2 000mg • i.e. approximates to 1 level teaspoon of salt