You can read food nutrition by looking at the information provided on the packaging, often including colour-coded labels that quickly tell you about key nutrients.
Understanding the labels on food packaging is essential for making informed choices about what you eat. Many products feature colour-coded nutritional information on the front of the pack, making it easy to see at a glance how much fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt are in the food.
Understanding Colour-Coded Nutrition
Colour coding is a simple system that uses red, amber, and green to indicate whether a food has high, medium, or low amounts of certain nutrients.
- Red means high: A red label indicates that the food is high in that specific nutrient (e.g., fat, sugars, or salt). Foods with lots of red on their labels should be eaten less often and in smaller amounts.
- Amber means medium: An amber label signifies a medium amount of the nutrient. These foods are a fine choice most of the time.
- Green means low: A green label means the food is low in that particular nutrient. Foods with lots of green on their labels are healthier choices.
This system helps you quickly compare different products and choose options that are lower in fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt.
Colour Coding Summary
| Colour | Meaning | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Red | High | Eat less often / small amounts |
| Amber | Medium | Fine most of the time |
| Green | Low | Healthier choice |
By checking the colours, you can get a quick picture of the nutritional quality of the food. For example, if a product has a lot of green labels for fat and sugar but an amber label for salt, you know it's relatively low in fat and sugar but has a medium amount of salt.
