Nutrition Labeling

Nutrition information provided on food labels

Nutrition Facts

Ingredient List

Nutrition Claims

Health Claims

INGREDIENTS: Whole wheat, wheat bran, sugar/glucose-fructose, salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley), vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), minerals (iron, zinc oxide).

“Good source of fibre”

“A healthy diet…”

Nutrition Facts table

Amount of food:

Compare this to the amount you actually eat.

When comparing items, look at the weight/volume of food (rather than quantity).

Calories:How much energy you get from 1 serving.

Percent Daily Value (% DV):

Helps you see if a specific amount of food has a little or a lot of the nutrient.

Get more of these nutrients (high % DV):FibreVitamin AVitamin CCalciumIron

Get less of these nutrients (low % DV):Fat, Saturated fat, Trans fatCholesterolSugarsSodium

How to Compare: 3 steps

1) Look at the amounts of foodCracker A Cracker B

Cracker A has 9 crackers (23g). Cracker B has 4 crackers (20g). Since both weights are similar, you can compare these Nutrition Facts.

Note:You may still be able to compare products

that don’t have similar amounts of food. Ex. You could compare the % DVs of a

bagel (90g) to the % DVs of 2 slices of bread (70g) because you would most likely eat either amount of food at one meal.

2) Read the % DVsCracker A Cracker B

Looking at % DVs for saturated and trans fats, sodium and fibre:Cracker A has 13% DV for sat & trans fats, 12% DV for sodium and 4% DV for fibre.Cracker B has 2% DV for sat & trans fats, 4% DV for sodium and 12% DV for fibre.

3) Choose In this case, Cracker B would be a

better choice if you are trying to eat less saturated and trans fats, less sodium and more fibre as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Ingredient List

Source of information for people with food allergies or health concerns or for people who avoid certain ingredients based on their beliefs.

Ingredients are always listed in descending order by weight with the item in the greatest amount listed first. This can help you choose between products.

Nutrition Claims

Highlights a feature of interest in the food, such as “Good source of vitamin C.”

When you want to decrease the amount of certain nutrients, look for:

Free• none or hardly any of this nutrient• an example is “sodium free”

Low• a small amount• an example is “low fat”

Reduced

• at least 25% less of the nutrient compared with a similar product

• an example is “reduced in Calories”

Lightcan be used on foods that are reduced in fat or reduced in Calories

When you want to increase the amount of certain nutrients, look for:

Source• contains a significant amount

of the nutrient • an example is “source of fibre”

High orgood

source

• contains a high amount of the nutrient

• an example is “high in vitamin C”

Very high or excellent source

• contains a very high amount of the nutrient

• an example is “excellent source of calcium”

Health Claims

Is a disease risk reduction claimExample:

“a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer”

Federal government regulations specify the criteria a food must meet before a claim can be made, and the wording of the claim to ensure that they are consistent and not misleading.

To make a health claim about ...calcium, vitamin D and regular physical activity, and reduced risk of osteoporosis, the food must be high (or very high) in calcium may also be very high in vitamin D cannot have more phosphorus than calcium must be limited in alcohol] must have more than 40 Calories if the food

is not a vegetable or a fruit More information on Health Claims on Health Canada’s website: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/cons/claims-reclam/table2-eng.php

General Health Claims

Generally developed by third parties or corporations based on information that is closely regulated by the federal government.

While it is required that this information be truthful and not misleading, consumers should not rely solely on general health claims to make informed food choices.

By third party organizations:

By corporations:

Note: Because health claims are optional and

only highlight a few key nutrients or foods, it is still important to refer to the Nutrition Facts table to make food choices.

Canadian Nutrition Labeling Policy

Nutrition labeling became mandatory for most prepackaged foods on December 12, 2005.

The new revised regulations will strengthen the labelling requirements to:Declare "hidden" food allergens, gluten sources, and

sulphites so it will be labelled in the list of ingredients or in a statement that begins with "Contains:..”

The food allergen or gluten source will be written in commonly used words such as ("milk" or "wheat")

This will provide a clearer ingredient label so that consumers can better avoid foods with ingredient(s) which they are allergic or sensitive.

Effective: August 4, 2012

Resources

1) Health Canada websitewww.healthcanada.gc.ca/dailyvalue

2) Nutrition Labeling Education Centre (Dietitians of Canada & Canadian Diabetes Association)

http://www.healthyeatingisinstore.ca/

3) Eat Right Ontariohttp://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/

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