Nutrition Labelling... Get the Facts!

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Factsheet 5: Nutrition Labelling and Healthy Eating

Objective: To provide a framework for using the nutrition information on food labels to support healthy eating.

Key Message for Consumers
Use Nutrition Facts, the ingredient list and nutrition claims to make informed food choices.

Food is one of life's great pleasures, and enjoying food is part of healthy eating. Food is a part of celebrations with family and friends. It nourishes the body. It provides energy to get through each day. The right balance of food and activity helps one stay at a healthy body weight.

Nutrition labelling provides the opportunity to highlight and to revitalize healthy eating programs and messages. By following Canada's Food Guide and using nutrition labelling to make wise food choices, Canadians can meet their nutrient needs to reduce their risk of obesity and nutrition related chronic disease.

The Food Label-Healthy Eating Link

Nutrition labelling is a practical tool that helps Canadians choose foods. It provides nutrient-specific information about prepackaged foods so that consumers can compare similar products and make informed choices.

Linking the label information to Food Guide messages can help focus consumers' attention on healthy eating, as a whole, and prevent them from getting caught up in making choices only based on a particular nutrient.

The following section will highlight how the nutrition information on food labels and recommendations from Canada's Food Guide can help consumers make informed, healthy choices.

Make each Food Guide Serving count...

... Vegetables and Fruit

• Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
  Go for dark green vegetables such as broccoli, romaine lettuce, and spinach.
  Go for orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.
  
  
• Choose vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt.
  Have vegetables steamed, baked or stir-fried instead of deep-fried.
  
  
• Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.

Food label element: Nutrition Facts
What to look for: fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, sodium

Food label element: Nutrition Claims
What to look for: source of fibre, source of iron, excellent source of vitamin A, excellent source of vitamin C; health claim on vegetables and fruit and reduced risk of some types of cancer; health claim on potassium, sodium and reduced risk of high blood pressure

Food label element: Ingredient List
What to look for: check list of ingredients when consuming prepared foods; check if vegetables and fruit are near the beginning of the list

... Grain Products

• Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day.
  Eat a variety of whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oats, and quinoa and wild rice.
  Enjoy whole grain breads, oatmeal and whole wheat pasta.
  
  
• Choose grain products that are low in fat, sugar or salt.
  Compare the Nutrition Facts table on labels to make wise choices.
  Enjoy the true taste of grain products. When adding sauces or spreads, use small amounts.

Food label element: Nutrition Facts
What to look for: fibre, sugars, iron, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium

Food label element: Nutrition Claims
What to look for: source of fibre, high in iron

Food label element: Ingredient List
What to look for: sources of whole grains, such as oats and wild rice; enriched grains will also include nutrients which have been added back to them (iron, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and folic acid)

... Milk and Alternatives

• Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day.
  Have 500 mL (2 cups) of milk every day for adequate vitamin D.
  Drink fortified soy beverages if you do not drink milk.
  
  
• Select lower fat milk alternatives.
  Compare the Nutrition Facts table on yogurts or cheeses to make wise choices.

Food label element: Nutrition Facts
What to look for: fat, saturated and trans fats, calcium, vitamin D

Food label element: Nutrition Claims
What to look for: good source of calcium, low in fat; health claim on calcium, vitamin D and regular physical activity and reduced risk of osteoporosis; health claim on saturated and trans fats and heart disease

Food label element: Ingredient List
What to look for: other ingredients, such as salt (sodium) added to cheese

... Meat and Alternatives

• Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
  
  
• Eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week. *
  Choose fish such as char, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout.
  * Health Canada provides advice for limiting exposure to mercury from certain types of fish. Refer to www.healthcanada.gc.ca for the latest information.
  
  
• Select lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat or salt.
  Trim the visible fat from meats. Remove the skin on poultry.
  Use cooking methods such as roasting, baking or poaching that require little or no added fat.
  If you eat luncheon meats, sausages or prepackaged meats, choose those lower in salt (sodium) and fat.

Food label element: Nutrition Facts
What to look for: fat, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium

Food label element: Nutrition Claims
What to look for: low in fat, good source of iron; health claim on saturated and trans fats and heart disease

Food label element: Ingredient List
What to look for: other ingredients such as sources of added fat

What Amount and Type of Fat is Needed?

• Include a small amount - 30 to 45 mL (2 to 3 Tbsp) - of unsaturated fat each day. This amount includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.
  
  
• Use vegetable oils such as canola, olive and soybean.
  
  
• Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening.
  
  
• When buying margarine, use the Nutrition Facts table to compare how much saturated and trans fats it contains.
  
  
• Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats.

Read the label

Compare the Nutrition Facts table on food labels to choose products that contain less fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium.

Information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food. Compare this to the amount you eat.

Use % Daily Value to see if a food has a little or a lot of a nutrient.

Request nutrition information about menu items when eating out to help you make healthier choices.

Case Study - Helping Individuals Achieve Health Goals

Jane is a 51-year-old woman who wants to reduce her risk of developing osteoporosis.

Following the Food Guide, she chooses to have 2 cups (500 mL) of fluid milk each day for adequate vitamin D. She also knows to focus on choosing her other Milk and Alternatives choice as a lower fat product. She uses the % DV for fat and saturated + trans fats to help her choose these lower fat products.

Jane knows that some products, such as the specialty cheese she gets from the deli counter, do not carry nutrition information. But she has noticed that this information was posted by the counter. She also finds useful a brochure on osteoporosis from a public health clinic, providing information on vitamin D and health.

She also recalls the message to be active every day. She decides to ask a friend to join her on a daily lunch-time walk.

Activity - Labelling Clues

To identify label information that can help Canadians to follow healthy eating messages:

1. Ask participants if they have healthy eating goals, and what they are.
2. Select and provide participants with food labels that include nutrition information (Nutrition Facts table, some with extra nutrients in addition to the core list; and at least one with a nutrition claim).
3. Ask them to brainstorm to identify the label elements that would help in meeting their goals.