What to look out for when reading product labels?

Legal issues

The information that must be included on the product label include:

• the name of the food,
• a list of ingredients together with an indication of any ingredients or substances causing allergies or intolerance reactions used in the manufacture or preparation of the food,
• the net weight of the food,
• the date of minimum durability or the expiry date,
• conditions of storage or use,
• instructions for use,
• data identifying the body responsible for the transmission of food information,
• nutritional information,
• in the case of beverages with an alcoholic strength of more than 1,2% by volume, information on the actual alcoholic strength by volume is required.

The omission of the list of ingredients is permitted in the case of foodstuffs such as:

• fresh fruits and vegetables,
• carbonated water (the description of which indicates that it was saturated with carbon dioxide),
• vinegar,
• cheese, butter, fermented milk and cream/cream (to which ingredients other than milk products have not been added),
• foodstuffs containing a single ingredient, where: the name of the foodstuff is identical to the name of the ingredient, the name of the foodstuff makes it possible to clearly identify the nature of the ingredient.

Rules worth remembering

All this information is intended to avoid misleading the consumer. But how are ordinary people supposed to know what exactly all the presented data mean and which ones are useful from a dietary point of view? Here are some of the most important rules to remember:

1. The ingredients are listed in descending order. That is, the first on the list is the one that has the most. If you buy products that boast a high content of fruits or vegetables on the label, check if they are really high in the list of ingredients. Avoid foods that have sugar in the first place. Do not fall for its other forms - sucrose, glucose-fructose syrup, fructose, glucose, maltose, lactose, maltodextrin or dextrins are also sweet substances that are better to avoid.
2. Nutritional value. Most often, manufacturers indicate on the packages only basic information: energy value, amount of protein, amount of total carbohydrates (including sugars, fiber), amount of fat (saturated fats) and sodium. As a consumer, you should pay special attention to the amount of saturated fat — choose products where their value is lowest.
3. “It is best to consume before“That's a familiar term, isn't it? This means that after the indicated date, the manufacturer no longer guarantees that the product will maintain the same quality. And now a curiosity. Do you know why some products have an exact date and others only have a year? It depends on the shelf life of the product. If:

• it does not exceed 3 months can be given day/month,
• shelf life is from 3 to 18 months can be given a month/year,
• Exceeding 18 months, only a year can be given.

Attention! Exceeding the indicated date does not mean that the product is not suitable for consumption. It is worth making a visual assessment and individually deciding whether it should go to the trash.

4. “It should be consumed until...” — such a marking indicates that the product should not be consumed after the specified date (this applies, for example, to dairy products, packaged meats, fish). It is also worth knowing that the date indicated on the packaging refers only to goods that have been stored in the manner indicated by the manufacturer. Other storage can cause food to spoil faster.
5. Net weight. This point is worth paying attention to for economic reasons. Often, products have large packaging, which at first glance arouses the belief that there is a fair amount of goods inside. This treatment is intended to confuse the consumer, since usually large bulk packages have a more favorable price. Meanwhile, after unpacking, you can be unpleasantly disappointed.
6. Health Statement - indicates the relationship between a food component and its positive effect on the body. When issuing such a statement, the manufacturer is obliged to provide information on how much the product in question must be consumed in order to achieve the desired health effect. Before you are tempted by such food, think about whether the amount indicated by the company is real to eat.
7. Nutrition Statement - means any statement that states that a food has particular nutritional properties, due to energy or nutrients that:

• contains (e.g. fiber),
• contains in an increased or reduced amount,
• which it does not contain (e.g. does not contain sodium, does not contain sugar).

This opens up a fairly wide door for manufacturers to make profitable marketing promotions. Products with such a designation are often much more expensive than those without it. Meanwhile, it may turn out that on the store shelf, right next to the goods with the nutrition label, lies a much cheaper product naturally rich in dietary fiber and without sugar or sodium. The conscious consumer does not have to overpay.

As you can see, the ability to read labels is very useful. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of information on packaging can be confusing when you don't know what to look for. Therefore, it is worth learning the above tips. Thanks to them, we will not only be more aware of the choice of valuable products, but we will also save money and reduce food waste.

Bibliography:

1. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers
2. Act on Food Safety and Nutrition of 25 August 2006 (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2015, item 594) 4. Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of 23 December 2014 on labelling of particular types of foodstuffs.