The labels on the foods we buy carry lots of detailed information. Here's how to decipher the various codes, lists and symbols.
by Caroline Stacey
The labels on the foods we buy carry lots of detailed information. Here's how to decipher the various codes, lists and symbols.
Food labels carry a great deal of information. Labels need to inform consumers about what they're buying, how healthy it is, if it contains an ingredient that might affect people with allergies, and how to store and cook the food safely.
Then there’s the information that isn’t essential, but is there to persuade consumers to buy. It became more difficult for food manufacturers to pull the wool over shoppers’ eyes when new regulations came into force in 2007, defining terms such as ‘low fat’, ‘high fibre’ and ‘sugar-free’. Even so, unhelpful labelling is still possible. For instance, a food label can claim that a food is ‘low fat’ but needn’t mention its high sugar content.
Since food labelling now has to be agreed at a European level, such anomalies are being considered as part of proposals for new EU labelling regulations which will decide what health and nutrition claims should and shouldn’t be allowed. Only health claims that have been scientifically proved, such as that a food can help lower cholesterol, will be permitted.
Transparency about where food comes from has also been in the news as farmers and politicians campaign for clearer country of origin labelling. At the moment, labels on processed food must say where processing took place, but not where the raw materials come from. They need not reveal that the beef in a ‘British’ frozen roast dinner came from Brazil.
Prepared and packaged food should list all ingredients in order of weight, including water. Additives must be listed and identified as colourings, preservatives or flavourings. Colourings and preservatives must be listed by their full name, or E-number, or both. Flavourings don't need to be individually named.
The amount of significant ingredients included in a product (for instance the chicken content of a chicken pie, or the amount of strawberries in a strawberry yoghurt) must be given as a percentage of the total.
By law all allergens (any ingredient that may cause an allergic reaction, including celery, eggs, milk, peanuts and sulphur dioxide) must be clearly marked. Some product labels state that they may contain an allergen. This is a warning that the manufacturer cannot guarantee that the product is safe for anyone with an allergy to eat. (It may have been made in a factory where nuts are used, for example.)
Genetically modified (GM) ingredients have to be specified on labels, but there is no requirement for ingredients that may be derived from GM-linked sources to be stated. For instance, if meat, milk and eggs come from animals given GM animal feed the label need not say so. Campaigners who support clearer labelling are pushing for GM derivatives to be labelled on food. Although products may be marked as ‘GM-free’, the term does not have a legally agreed definition in Europe.
Campaigners who support clearer labelling are pushing for GM derivatives to be labelled on food. Although products may be marked as ‘GM-free’, the term does not have a legally agreed definition in Europe.
Knowing the calorie, fat, sugar and salt content of food can help consumers to make healthier food choices. Manufacturers have been reducing the amount of salt, use of trans-fats and sugar in products, but beware misleading claims on the packaging. The term 'No added sugar' could mean sweeteners are used instead of sugar and the food could be high in saturated fat - although this loophole is being investigated as part of proposed EU labelling changes.
It is not essential to include a nutritional breakdown of the food on the packaging unless a food makes a health claim such as ‘low fat’ or that vitamins are added. However, most foods include a breakdown of the amount of energy such as calories (kcal), fats (including saturated), carbohydrates, fibre, salt and sugar on the packaging, per serving and per 100g.
The Food Standards Agency has devised a traffic lights system to help shoppers see more easily the levels of fat, sugar and salt that are contained in ready-made foods. Red denotes a high salt, sugar or fat content, green represents low and amber a moderate content. This colour code can be presented as a wheel or a row of lights. Supermarkets and a few manufacturers, including Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose, the Co-op and McCain's use the system on frozen chips, soups, ready meals, pizzas, sandwiches and pasta sauces.
Tesco and most food manufacturers have their own rival front-of-pack labelling system, which show calories, sugars, fats and salt in each serving as a percentage of the guideline daily allowance (GDA). This system does not show at a glance whether the fat, sugar or salt content is high. Currently these labelling schemes are optional but this situation could change, following results of a study undertaken by an expert panel and published in May 2009, which the FSA says confirms that food shoppers would benefit from a single front-of-packet scheme with ‘traffic light’ colours and percentage of GDA.
Food must carry the name and address of the manufacturer, packager or retailer, but these details can sometimes be misleading. Imported pork that is processed in the UK can give the impression the meat is British by describing the product as 'produced in the UK'.
Legally, the labels used on ready meals only need to state the origin of the ingredients if it's misleading not to be told. A steak and stout pie or a chilled chicken tikka masala could have been made in the UK (and state this on the label), but the meat might have come from Brazil or Thailand. Producers are encouraged, but not required, to be transparent about the origin of the food. The Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose all now state where the meat in their ready meals comes from.
There are moves to make country of origin labels clearer so that only food reared, slaughtered and packaged in Britain will be able to claim it is British, but any change in the law will have to be made at European level.
Speciality products tend to emphasise that they come from a particular area. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) status are awarded by the EU to foods that are unique to a particular geographic area. No other food can use the name of that registered product. Welsh lamb, for instance, can carry a PGI mark, and Cornish clotted cream a PDO mark of authenticity.
The Red Tractor symbol, seen on products as diverse as potatoes, meat, milk and apples, is an independent assurance scheme for home-grown food. The food must be farmed and packed in the UK and meet strict hygiene, safety and welfare standards at all stages.
Supermarkets often mark their British meat with a Union flag, or if it's Welsh, Scottish or English, the meat might carry a national emblem to show where it comes from. British pork and English, Scottish and Welsh beef and lamb also have their own quality standard marks, awarded by meat industry bodies such as English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) and Quality Meat Scotland.
These marks - there are different logos for each organisation - guarantee the origin of the meat. They also offer an assurance that at every stage, from birth to slaughter through to processing and packaging, the meat has been produced to standards more stringent than the legal minimum set by experts from the Government and the food industry.
Use-by dates are put on perishable foods such as ready meals, dairy produce and smoked fish. These dates are intended to inform the consumer of the period after which the foods are unsafe to eat. If a product is not eaten by the specified date, it could be unsafe to eat. Once a packet or jar has been opened, follow storage instructions and don't risk keeping the product for longer than advised.
The sell-by or display-until date information is aimed at the shop or retailer. The purpose of these labels is to tell shop workers and managers when the food is approaching its use-by date. The best-before date is a recommendation applied to preserved or longer-lasting foods. Dried or tinned foods are usually not unsafe to eat after the date given, but they may be stale or may have deteriorated in quality after that time.
Cooking instructions are given to help consumers get the best results, although frozen foods are an exception. Frozen food often turns out better if it's properly defrosted first, but labels on frozen foods often say 'Best cooked from frozen' in order to protect the manufacturer from possible claims arising from customers' inefficient defrosting. If the food is always cooked from frozen, results will be consistent; food at different stages of defrosting will cook at varying rates, which the manufacturer can't then be responsible for.
Updated May 2009