GCSE Food and Nutrition

1. GCSE Food and Nutrition Food Labelling

2. Learning Objectives To understand the functions of food labelling

3. Food Labelling Manufacturers use food labelling on processed food to pass on information to the consumer. The Food Labelling Regulations control what information has to be put onto food labels.

4. Advantages to the consumer Consumers can make informed decisions about the food they buy as the label gives information on what is in the product and the amount of each ingredient. The date mark will tell the consumer how long the product is safe to eat, the storage and cooking instructions

5. Labels must show …….. Labels should clearly show Name of product Weight of food e means average weight Ingredients in descending order of weight Nutrition information Storage instructions Address of manufacturer Use by and best before date

6. Optional information…….. • Nutritional information • including comparison • with GDAs • Allergy information • Suitability for vegetarians • Special claims e.g enriched • with calcium • Bar code for stock control • Recycling information • Picture

7. Labels on the back or side ……. • Nutrition labels are often displayed as a panel or grid on the back or side of packaging. For example the image below shows the nutrition label on a ready meal. • This type of label usually includes information on energy (calories), protein, carbohydrate and fat. It may also provide additional information on saturated fat, sugars, sodium, salt and fibre. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion of the food.

8. Labels on the front ………. • Most of the big supermarkets and many food manufacturers also display nutritional information on the front of pre-packed food. This is very useful when you want to compare different food products at a glance. • Front of pack labels, such as the label in the above image, usually give a quick guide to: • calories • sugar content • fat content • saturated fat content • salt content

9. Traffic Light Coding Some front of pack nutrition labels use red, amber and green (traffic light) colour coding. Traffic light colour coding, as shown in the image above, tells you at a glance if the food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. red means high amber means medium green means low In short, the more green lights, the healthier the choice. http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/frontofpackguidance2.pdf

10. Traffic Light

11. Labels must not …….. • Claim to be suitable for vegetarians if they contain any ingredient from slaughter • Claim to contain extra nutrients if they do not • Claim to be ‘reduced’ fat if they do not contain less fat • Fruit yoghurts/desserts must contain the fruit as described • The picture must represent the food inside the pack

12. Summary Labels provide information to enable consumers to make informed choices when buying food Labels give information on safe storage and cooking to prevent food poisoning.