Rosalee Brown
READING FOOD labels is a very good habit to practise, as the picture panel is not a true representation of what is contained inside the container. All food by law should contain an ingredient panel. The ingredients should be written with the items in largest amount first and thereafter in descending order by amount.
Jamaican law mandates food companies to display an ingredient panel but not a nutrition fact label which manufacturers and distributors display to satisfy their export markets.
The information on the nutrition panel refers to major food nutrients, such as carbohydrate, protein, fat and the mineral sodium. It is important to note that the nutrition information refers to a serving size and not to the total amount in the container. Therefore it is important to note what the serving size is for example, half cup and the serving per container for example, four servings, means it contains two cups, so the total carbohydrate of 30 grams refers to the serving size of half cup and not the two cups.
The label also contains the per cent daily value for the nutrients listed. This is in reference to a 2000-calorie diet, and therefore may not represent the per cent daily value for everybody.
The nutritional value for the items such as sodium, cholesterol, fat, sugars, protein and so on, enables you the consumer to make a decision if the food item is appropriate for you.
Many foods now boast certain nutrient claims and many times consumers are not quite sure what they mean.
Rosalee Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who
operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
