Don't Be Tricked By The Label

Understanding food claims......

• Lite or Light – can refer to the taste, texture, salt content, colour or fat content of a product. Check the small print to see what they are actually referring to.
• Cholesterol Free or No Cholesterol – this does not mean low or no fat. People watching their cholesterol need to follow a low saturated fat diet, and the cholesterol in foods does not contribute a significant amount to overall blood cholesterol levels. All plant foods are cholesterol free.
• Low fat – food labeled low fat must contain less than 3g fat per 100g.
• Fat-reduced – the product contains at least 25% less fat than the original product, but this doesn’t always mean it is low in fat. For example, regular cheese contains around 35g fat per 100g, so a reduced fat variety may still contain 25g fat per 100g – not a low fat food (though a better choice than regular cheese!)
• Diet - generally means the product contains artificial sweeteners and therefore fewer kilojoules than similar products sweetened with sugar.
• Baked not fried - the product may still contain high amounts of fat as oils are often used in baking. Check the nutrition panel to be sure.
• No added sugar – these foods contain no added glucose, honey, sugar or fructose, but may be naturally high in sugar e.g. fruit juice. They can still be high in kilojoules!
• High in fibre - products containing 3g fibre or more per serve. (Very high fibre products must contain 6g fibre or more per serve).

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