- What foods are best for you? - Food for thought - Miracle foods

Food news

GET CLUED UP: FOOD LABELS

Do you look at food labels? If not, then you'll be surprised at what's in your can of beans. If you are of the ones who consider their nutritional intake, then find out more about these labels.

Ingredients lists appear on all packaged foods, with the main ingredient at the top of the list. Items that appear in tiny amounts, such as herbs, spices and food additives, are listed at the end in any order. A food additive is anything added to the food in the manufacturing process that isn't seen as a food itself, such as colorants, flavorants and humectants (chemicals added to keep food moist).

People who read nutrition facts labels on packaged foods had around a six percent lower overall intake of fat, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetics Association.

If a product contains tartrazine, the manufacturer is obliged to say so on the label. The same applies to products that contain nuts or could contain traces of nuts, because of the severe allergic reaction they could cause in some people.

If a product makes a claim such as 'with added vitamin C', this must be backed up with info on the nutrition facts table. The manufacturer can't make this kind of claim unless the product provides at least 15 percent of the nutrient concerned.

On any food packaging you will find two columns with different amounts on the nutrition facts table. The prescribed standard will always show the nutrients per 100g or 100ml. This is useful to help you compare one product with another. The second amount tells you how many nutrients there will be in a serving.

If you want to cut down on the amount of sugar you eat, look out for sugar in disguise under the names glucose, fructose (fruit sugar), galactose and lactose (the last two found in dairy products). An item can be labelled as sugar-free if it contains less than half a gram of all types of sugar combined per 100g or 100ml.

If you're looking for fats, they may be separated into vegetable, animal and marine, and the words oil or shortening are sometimes used. An item can only be labelled fat-free if it contains less than half a gram of all kinds of fat combined per 100g of the product. Low-fat means three grams or less per 100g, with the exception of low-fat milk, which can have 5 grams per 100g. A product can't claim to be low-fat or fat-free if it would never have contained significant amounts of fat in the first place. So you won't see an apple with 'fat-free' stuck on it, because it's assumed that all apples fall into that category.

Some foods, such as tinned goods, may last for many years, but most food will degrade if not used within a certain time. This is why manufacturers have a sell-by date on the product. You may also find a 'use by' or 'best before' date. Be wary if the price tag has been stuck over the use-by date – it may mean the shopkeeper is trying to get rid of products that will expire soon.

Current nutrition or health claims are regulated by the regulation governing the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, promulgated in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act, 1972,' explains Professor Demetre Labadarios, chairman of the Child Nutrition Expert Panel. 'When a medical claim is made, the foodstuff must be registered as a medicine in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, 1965. The law is enforced by the regional health authority in each area.'

10New changes to food labelling legislation will come within a year or so, says Professor Labadarios, which will bring greater clarity on potential allergens, ingredients of animal origin and sweeteners. Manufacturers will be allowed to indicate the glycaemic index of the product and – interestingly and new to South Africa – will probably be allowed to make comparative claims.