Reading Nutrition Labels at the Supermarket
The front of the pack is where the advertising goes. The back is where the truth is. Knowing which three places to look at is all it takes to choose far better.
But · 5 min read · Sep 5, 2026
The front of a food package is the place for the sales pitch: low fat, high in calcium, good for your heart. To know what you are really buying, turn it over to the back, where the nutrition table and the ingredients list are.
First thing: check what the numbers are based on
The numbers in the table may be given per 100 g, per serving, or for the whole packet. A bag of snacks marked 150 kcal sounds modest, but if that is the figure for a third of the bag, you are actually eating three times as much.
This is the most common trap. Always look for the serving line before you read any other number.
The three lines most worth looking at
- Sodium: directly related to blood pressure. Remember that 1 g of sodium is equivalent to about 2.5 g of salt
- Sugar: look for the added sugars line if the label gives one, because it is different from the sugar naturally present in milk or fruit
- Saturated fat and trans fat: the two that affect your blood lipids the most
If the label has a percentage of daily requirement column, use it for a quick estimate: a small number is little, a large number is a lot compared with an adult's whole day.
What the ingredients list tells you
Ingredients are listed in order from most to least. If sugar, syrup or oil is among the first three names, that product is high in sugar or high in oil, whatever the front of the pack says.
Sugar appears under many names: corn syrup, malt, honey, concentrated fruit juice, dextrose, fructose. Splitting it into several names pushes each one further down the list so that it looks like less.
Do not let the words on the packaging lead you
Low fat does not mean low sugar, and often it is the other way round. Sugar-free does not mean low in energy. Pure, natural and light are pleasant words that rarely have a strict definition.
When to ask your doctor
If you have kidney disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, a food allergy, or you are pregnant, the thresholds that suit you will be different from the general recommendations. Ask your doctor or a dietitian which line you most need to watch.
See a doctor if, after using a product, you develop a rash, swelling of the lips or face, difficulty breathing or severe stomach pain. This information is for general reference only and does not replace advice from your doctor.
