A Guide to Understand the Value of Food and Nutritions labels in Australia

Abstract
Necessary nutrients are compounds that our body cannot make or cannot make in sufficient quantity.
Which according to the World Health Organization, must come from food, and these nutrients are vital
for protection from disease, body and mind growth, and good health. Nutrients are drawn from a wide
variety of foods and the more varied your diet, the more likely you are to obtain all the nutrients you
need. The nutrients found in all foods and drinks provide nourishment for the body. Here we will
understand different types of Food and Nutrition value in our daily life and how to read food and neutrinos
labels on your daily food.
Introduction
Understanding the Nutrition Facts label can help you in making healthier daily eating choices and by
identifying nutrient dense foods for a healthy food or diet. Here are some tips from for making the most
of the information on food labels. This Guide to understand the value of Food and Nutrition labels in
Australia is made up of information on daily nutritional requirement for different individuals by
understanding the food and nutrition labels the food we intake.
1. Nutrition Guidelines in Australia
The amount of energy (kJ) you need to consume each day differs depending on whether you are wanting
to maintain weight, lose weight or gain weight. This is a basic guide on how many kilojoules (calories) you
need each day, along with information regarding what nutrients are needed for a healthy diet.
Approximate recommended dietary intakes (RDI) for an average adult
The information below shows what to look for on the nutrition information panel, based on the daily
energy intake for the average adult diet of 8700kJ. Your individual dietary requirements may be higher or
lower depending on your age, gender, height, weight and physical activity levels.

Understanding % RDI
Recommended dietary intakes are the levels of intake of essential nutrients that adequately meet the
nutritional needs of practically all healthy people. Values are dependent on age and gender.
Per serve
Always note the recommended serving size. If the recipe is analysed for 6 serves, but you divide the recipe
between 4, you’re getting half as much again. When reading nutrition information on food packaging,
check how many serves they claim. Sometimes it’s realistic and sometimes it’s not.
Energy
Varies depending on your height, weight, gender and activity levels. See ‘How much do I need to eat’
below for guidelines.
Protein
Women: 45-60g/day
Men: 65-80g/day
Fat
Should be 30% of total energy intake, that is 70g/day.
Saturated fat
Should be less than 10% of your total energy intake, that is less than 24g/day.
Carbohydrate
45-65% of total energy intake (230-310g/day).
Fibre
Women: 25g/day
Men: 30g/day
Sodium
Should be 920-2300mg/day. An upper limit of 1600mg is recommended for those with or at risk of heart
disease.
Calcium
Women 50+ and men 70+: 1300mg/day
All other adults: 1000mg/day
Iron

Women 19-50: 18mg/day
Women 50+ and men 19+: 8mg/day
Per 100g
Use this to compare the nutritional content of different brands.
How much do I need to eat?
The amount of energy you need each day to maintain your weight depends on your age, gender, height,
weight and physical activity level. Your weight history can also influence your daily requirements. The
information in this table is for the average adult, so will need to be adjusted.
If you are older, you will need to reduce your kilojoule intake by around 500kJ (female) or 1300kJ (male)
– this will vary depending on how active you are.
If you are younger, males should be consuming about 800kJ more, while females should maintain
approximately the same kilojoule content as mentioned for the 31- to 50-year-old females.
Females
Height Age
Weight Activity kJ/day Calories/day
1.6m 31-50 60kg Sedentary* 7600 1800
Moderate** 9800 2350
Males

Height Age
Weight Activity kJ/day Calories/day
1.9m 31-50 70kg Sedentary* 9900 2400
Moderate** 12700 3000
*Sedentary – seated work with little or no strenuous leisure activity.
**Moderate – standing or walking work, or sedentary work with regular exercise of at least 30 minutes.
Please note
Average energy intakes vary between individuals, therefore please use this information as a guide only.
If you are unsure of how to interpret this information, consult a dietitian or your GP for your own
personalised advice and guidance.
2. Understanding A Balanced Diet
Simple guidelines from qualified experts make it easy to have a balanced diet and nutritious and healthy
food.
The 5 food groups
The best way to eat for health is to choose a variety of foods from each of the 5 food groups every day:
Vegetables and legumes (beans)
Fruit
Grains and cereals
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes (beans) tofu, nuts, seeds
Milk, cheese, yoghurt or alternatives
Each food group has important nutrients.
The amount of each food you need will vary during your life, depending on factors such as how active
you are and whether or not you are growing, pregnant, breastfeeding and more.

Vegetables and legumes (beans and peas)
Vegetables and legumes have hundreds of natural nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary
fibre.
To get the most from this group:
Choose vegetables and legumes in season
Look for different colours:
1. Greens like beans, peas and broccoli
2. Red, orange or yellow vegetables like capsicums, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin
3. Purple vegetables like red cabbage and eggplant
4. White vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms and potatoes
5. Eating your vegetables raw is indeed sometimes the healthier option. However; there are also
some vegetables which offer useful health benefits when they're cooked.
How much?
1 to 3 year-olds, 2 to 3 serves a day; 4 to 8 year-olds, 4½ serves a day
Adults and children aged 9 and over, 5-6 serves a day
One serve is ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw.
You can include vegetables at lunch (salads, raw vegies or soups) as well as dinner. Cherry tomatoes, snow
peas, green beans, red capsicum, celery or carrot sticks with hummus makes a great snack.
Fruit
Fresh fruit is a good source of vitamins and dietary fibre. It’s best to eat fresh fruit.

How much?
1 to 2year-olds, ½ piece a day, 2 to 3 year-olds, 1 piece a day
4 to 8 year-olds, 1½ pieces a day
adults and children over 9, 2 pieces a day
If you want to have fruit juices, do it only occasionally. Half a cup is enough. Fruit juices lack
fibre and they’re not filling. Their acidity can also damage tooth enamel. Commercial fruit juices
are often high in sugars.
Dried fruit also has a high sugar content. It is only suitable as an occasional extra.
Grains and cereal foods
Grain foods include rolled oats, brown rice, wholemeal and wholegrain breads, cracked wheat,
barley, buckwheat and breakfast cereals like muesli.
Wholegrains have protein, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins. In processed grains, some of these
nutrients are lost.
How much?
1 to 8 year-olds, start with 4 serves a day
9 to 11 year-olds, 4-5 serves a day, 14 to 18 year-olds, 7 or more serves
adults, 3 to 6 serves a day depending on age and sex
A serve is equivalent to:
1 slice of bread, or
½ cup cooked rice, oats, pasta or other grain, or 3 rye crispbread, or
30g of breakfast cereal (⅔ cup flakes or ¼ cup muesli)

Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes (beans) tofu, nuts and seeds
These foods provide protein, minerals and vitamins. Legumes, nuts and seeds also have dietary
fibre. It’s good to choose a variety of foods from this group.
How much?
1 to 3 year-olds, 1 serve a day
4 to 8 year-olds, 1½ serves a day
9-18 year-olds, 2½ serves a day
women, 2-2½ serves; men, 2½ to 3 serves a day
A serve is 65g cooked red meat, or 80g poultry, or 100g fish, or 2 eggs, or 1 cup legumes, or 170g
tofu, or 30g nuts, seeds or pastes (peanut butter or tahini).
Adults should eat no more than 500 g of red meat a week. There is evidence that those eating more
than 500 g of red meat may have an increased risk of bowel cancer.
Milk, cheeses, yoghurts
Milk gives you protein, vitamins and calcium. Soy drinks with added calcium can be used as a
milk substitute for children over 1.
Some nut or oat milks have added calcium but they lack vitamin B12 and enough protein. Check your
child’s total diet with a doctor or qualified dietician before using them.
Children should have full-cream milk until aged 2. Reduced-fat varieties may be suitable after that.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on introducing allergy foods to babies and children.
How much?
1 to 3 year-olds, 1 to 1½ serves a day

4 to 8 year-olds, 1½ serves to 2 serves a day
9 to 18 year olds, 2½ to 3½ serves a day
men, 2½ to 3½ serves a day, women, 2½ to 4 serves a day
A serve is 1 cup of milk, or 2 slices of cheese, or 200g yoghurt.
If you use plant-based alternatives to milk, like soy milk, check that they have at least 100mg calcium per
100 mL.
Drinks
Apart from milk, the ideal drink for children is tap water.
Discretionary choices
Foods that are not included in the 5 food groups are called ‘discretionary choices’ or ‘extras’. Some of it
could be called junk food.
You can eat small amounts of unsaturated oils and spreads. These may be from olives, soybeans, corn,
canola, sunflower, safflower, sesame or grapeseeds.
Other ‘discretionary choices’ are not needed in a healthy diet. This includes:
Biscuits
Cakes
Ice Cream
Ice Blocks
Soft Drinks
Cordials, Sports, Fruit And Energy Drinks
Lollies And Chocolates

Processed Meats
Potato Crisps
Savoury Snack Foods
Commercial Burgers
Hot Chips
Fried Foods
Alcohol
These foods and drinks often provide excess energy, saturated fat, sugar or salt. They are often described
as ‘energy-rich but nutrient-poor’.
They also often replace healthier foods in the diet.
In Australia about 40% of children’s food energy come from discretionary foods. This is too high for their
good health.
3. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is an Australian government agency that develops and
manages standards for food – known as the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Parts one and two of the Code apply in New Zealand. These parts regulate the use of ingredients,
processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals. They also cover the composition (make-up)
of some foods and include standards for genetically modified foods.
FSANZ is also responsible for labelling of both packaged and unpackaged food, including mandatory
(legally required) warnings or advisory labels.

In Australia, FSANZ also sets primary production and processing standards, and maximum residue limits
for agricultural and veterinary chemicals. In New Zealand, these activities are undertaken by the New
Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries.
The FSANZ Board decides whether or not to approve changes to the Food Standards Code. These decisions
are notified to Australian and New Zealand ministers responsible for food regulation (the Australia and
New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation). The forum can adopt, make changes to or reject
standards and can ask FSANZ to review its decisions.
Food standards enforcement
Food standards are enforced by Australian state and territory governments and the New Zealand
Government through their individual Food Acts. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for
enforcing food standards relating to imported food.
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991
FSANZ operates under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991. The main objectives of this
Act are to:
Protect public health and safety
Provide enough information about food to help consumers make informed choices and to
prevent fraud and deception
Prevent misleading and deceptive conduct.
Role of FSANZ
FSANZ's role is to protect the health and safety of people in Australia and New Zealand by maintaining a
safe food supply.
FSANZ is responsible for:
Developing and making changes to standards for food
Developing standards for primary production (australia only)
Providing information to consumers to help them make food choices
Coordinating national food surveillance, enforcement and food recalls (australia only)
Doing consumer and industry research
Scientific risk assessments
Providing risk assessment advice on imported food (australia only).
Role of other agencies in maintaining food standards
FSANZ works with a number of government agencies or departments in Australia and New Zealand.
These include:
State and territory government health departments and food regulatory agencies that enforce
the Food Standards Code

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, which enforces the Food Standards Code
on imported foods
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates the use of therapeutic goods,
including medications
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), which is responsible for
approving agricultural and veterinary chemicals for use
The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries.
Changing the Food Standards Code
Anyone can apply to change standards in the Food Standards Code. FSANZ can also raise proposals to
amend the code if an important food safety issue arises.
The process for changing the code includes:
A new application or proposal is submitted to FSANZ.
The application or proposal is assessed, and an initial assessment report is produced. This is
cleared by the FSANZ Board and goes out for public comment.
Public comment is analysed and an assessment report is prepared, which includes a scientific
risk assessment.
This assessment report is approved by the FSANZ Board.
The report may go out for another round of public comment. The comments received are
analysed and changes made to the report if necessary.
The FSANZ Board approves or rejects the final assessment report.
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation is notified of the decision
and if ministers do not request a review, the standard is gazetted (published) and incorporated
into the Food Standards Code.
Once approved, any new standard or variation to a standard is adopted by Australian states and
territories and by New Zealand authorities, and becomes part of food legislation.
4. Understanding what’s in my food
Food labels can help you take control of your health by providing you with detailed information on
what’s in the food you buy. Our handy guide to reading food labels will make it easier for you to make
healthy choices for you and your family.
There are four main tools used on food products in Australia:
Nutrition Information Panel (compulsory)
Ingredients list (compulsory)
Daily Intake Guide (voluntary)
Health Star Rating (voluntary).
Here’s a run-down on each.
Nutrition Information Panel

What is it?
Nutrition information panels are the detailed boxes on many food products that list the energy, protein,
fat, carbohydrate, sugar, dietary fibre and sodium.
The format for nutrition information panels is the same for all products and lists each nutrient per serve
and per 100g (or 100mL if liquid).
How do I read it?
Here are some tips to help you understand the information on that little box of numbers!
Per Serve or Per 100g
When comparing products use the ‘per 100g’ column as serving sizes can vary but when you're looking
for the amount of a nutrient the product will give you, look at the amount per serve.
Energy
When looking for snacks, try to aim for energy per serve of 600kJ or less.
Sodium
If you can, try to choose lower sodium foods. Aim for foods with less than 400mg sodium per 100g.
Fat
A general rule is to try to choose products with less than 10g of fat per 100g. Some food products, like
those that have nuts and seeds will be naturally higher in healthy fats – but these are packed with benefits
for your brain, heart and waistline. So if the fat content is higher you don’t need to worry as much.
Likewise cheese products are naturally higher in fat – so aim for less than 15g of fat per 100g when
selecting cheeses. When comparing milks or fortified dairy free milks, aim for products with less than 2g
of fat per 100g.
Sugars
A general rule of thumb for sugars is to aim for products with less than 10-15g of sugar per 100g but if a
product is high in natural sugars from fruit, for instance in breakfast cereals, aim for 25g sugar or less.
Fibre
Aim for higher fibre breakfast cereals, breads, crackers, grains and pastas by comparing the fibre content
in the ‘per 100g’ column. A general rule of thumb is that products with more than 3g of fibre per serve
are a good fibre choice.
Ingredients list

All foods sold in Australia and New Zealand must have a list of ingredients on the label. Here are 3 things
worth understanding about ingredients lists.
Order
Ingredients are listed in decending order from the most present in the food – either by weight or quantity
– to the least. Water is also listed unless it's less than 5% of the product.
So, if a product ingredient list has fat, sugar or salt listed as a first, second or third ingredient, then it may
contain large amounts of these ingredients. But fats, sugars and sodium can also be listed under different
names and some companies will use a combination of these ingredients in their products.
Some examples...
Fat: animal oil or fat, vegetable oil or fat, butter fat, vegetable shortening, milk solids, cream, copha,
chocolate, tallow, lard, ghee, dripping, suet, palm oil, sour cream.
Sugar: sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose, golden syrup, corn syrup, honey, malt,
molasses, maple syrup, brown sugar, caster sugar, raw sugar.
Salt: rock salt, sea salt, vegetables salt, celery salt, garlic salt, onion salt, baking soda, baking powder,
sodium, sodium ascorbate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium nitrate/nitrite, monosodium glutamate (MSG),
stock cubes, yeast extract, meat extract.
Characterising ingredients
- The amount (in percentage) of the ingredient that characterises the food – for instance almond in almond
milk – must also be listed.
You can see in the ingredients list below that 2.5% of Sanitarium’s Unsweetened Almond Milk is from
almonds.
Unsweetened almond milk
Ingredients: Filtered water, almonds (2.5%), mineral salts (tricalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate),
emulsifier (lecithin), natural flavours, salt, vegetable gum (gellan).
Contains almonds. May contain other tree nuts.
Allergens
You’ll also notice that almonds is in bold and there's a statement, ‘contains almonds’, below the
ingredients list. This is because food standard laws require all common food allergens, including peanuts,
tree nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat, to be declared on the food label.
Percentage Daily Intake

Some food products also show the nutrients in a serve as a percentage of daily recommended nutrient
intakes in thumbnail icons on the front of the product. These icons can be helpful for comparison between
products, but a word of caution – they are only a rough guide as they relate to the nutrient and energy
needs of an average adult and yours may be quite different!
Health Star Rating
The Health Star Rating system is a government initiative developed in consultation with health
organisations, food industry and the public.
It gives you a visual snapshot of the nutrition quality of food products to make it easy for you to compare
similar foods and make healthier food choices for you and your family. Basically, the more stars, the
healthier the choice.
The Health Star Rating is not meant to compare different types of foods. So, for example, it is not meant
to compare a yoghurt with a packet of crisps.
For more on the Health Star Rating and the rating of Sanitarium food products, read our Health Star Rating
article or see our products pages for individual products.
Getting to know what’s in the foods you eat is a great way to take charge of your health. Remember, if
you have any questions you can always call the manufacturer – their number is usually listed on the food
packaging.
5. Making sense of food labels and nutrition panels
Carbohydrate this, saturated fat that. What does it all mean?
An overview of food labels

Remember when you could just buy a jar of jam and all it said was Cottee's and Strawberry? Well, gone
are those days.
The Australian and New Zealand Food Standard has been in effect since 1986 and that means the key
ingredients in anything you can eat must be declared on the label. Particularly if it can cause an allergic
reaction (such as nuts).
But that's not all a food label tells you. On the back of any jar or packet is a Nutrition Label which
indicates the calories/kilojoules, fat, sugar and sodium levels per 100g/ml and an indication of how
much of each is in a single serve.
So What Does That All Mean?
How to read nutritional labels
Calories and Kilojoules are the amount of energy a food contains when its eaten.
If you're looking to lose or gain weight it can be helpful to know how many calories you need to meet your
goal. The government recommend a daily average of 8700 kJ per day for a woman.
In order to lose half a kilo, eatforhealth.gov.au advises eating 2000kJ per day less than you consume. So,
if you're following that path, counting kilojoules and knowing how to read food labels is a must.
Food Labels Can Be Tricky
Australian food labels generally have two columns: One shows the nutritional value of a single serve and
the other shows the nutritional value per 100g/ml.
It's important to know the difference and have your glasses on when you read the label. Why? Because
it's easy to get confused.
Take rice crackers and yoghurt as an example…
Sakata Plain Rice Crackers contain 1680kJ per 100g and 421kJ per serve (approx 25 crackers).
Chobani No Fat Plain Greek Yogurt contains 240kJ per 100g and 408kJ per serve.
You could be forgiven for reading the per serve nutritional value of the crackers and thinking it's the whole
packet, and misreading the yoghurt as being 240kJ per pot.
Where it gets even more tricky is when the nutrition panel breaks the contents down into two (or more)
serves when the chances of you eating half the pack is slim.
For example, a Cadbury's Twirl chocolate bar contains two smallish sticks of chocolate. Each one is
considered a serve. So if you read the label without realising, you might think the whole bar contained
438kJ. But you'd be wrong.

Each stick contains 438kJ plus 5.8g fat.
So, gobble the whole thing (which you're likely to) and you just swallowed 876kJ and 11g of fat, probably
without realising.
Total fat and saturated fat
According to the Heart Foundation, eating too much saturated fat increases your LDL (bad) blood
cholesterol levels. So how much is too much?
Nutrition Australia recommends no more than 30 per cent of our daily intake should come from fat, which
adds up to around 70g per day. Only 10 per cent of your total intake should be made up of saturated fat.
When you're checking the nutrition label be sure to read the Total Fat and note the Saturated Fat which
is often next to or just below the Total Fat.
Sugar and carbohydrates
When it comes to nutritional labelling in Australia, the section that states carbohydrates and sugar can
sometimes be the most confusing.
Here's how to read the nutritional panel so you can understand the health value of your food.

All food (bar black tea and coffee) contains carbohydrates – it's what the body converts into glucose and
uses as energy for the muscles and brain. Sugar is a form of carbohydrate but not all carbs are sugar and
not all sugars are bad.
Here's the simplest way to figure it out.
Some foods contain a lot of carbs that are mostly made up of sugar – think biscuits, cakes and lollies.
Other foods contain natural sugars - think milk, fruit and 'sweet' veg such as carrots and pumpkin.
All the foods mentioned above will have a reasonably high carbohydrate level, but the main difference is
that the foods in the second list also contain fibre, vitamins and minerals which makes them a more
rounded and therefore healthier choice.
Carbohydrates are not the enemy, but it's useful to know where they're coming from, hence our food
labels are required to break them down into carbs and sugar content.
Compare
1 cup (140g) of chopped, raw carrots provides 7g carbs, 7g sugar, 5.5g fibre and 186kJ.
9 jelly beans contain 18.3g carbs, 12.2g sugar, 0 fibre and 312kJ.
You can see how the higher the carbohydrates the higher the overall kilojoules. You could eat double the
carrots or half the jelly beans and consume the same-ish amount of carbohydrates and calories, but one
will also provide you with vitamins and fibre whereas the other is pure carbs.
You know which one to choose, right?
How fibre helps
You can also see from the above comparison that not only can you eat way more carrots for far less sugar,

ut the fibre content in a food is worth noting too.
Fibre helps to slow the digestive process which effectively means it will take longer to burn off the carbs.
The result? A fuller belly for longer which equals a lower likelihood of reaching for a snack later on.
What about sodium?
Nutrition Australia states that 460-920g daily value of sodium is adequate for our health. That equates to
1.15-2.3g of salt per day.
Excess salt consumption raises your blood pressure and hypertension is associated with a higher risk of
stroke and heart disease.
Keeping your intake to 4g of sodium per day or less is key. Most Australians consume around 10g so
halving your intake is a good start.
Note: Most food labelling in Australia will state sodium in mg: 4g = 4000mg.
Low GI, gluten-free and organic
The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) says eating Low GI foods may help reduce insulin levels and
keep hunger at bay for longer periods.

It's impossible to tell the GI from the nutrition label but if you look for the Glycemic Index Foundation
Logo (below) it's been tested and proven to have a Low GI (55 or less).
Health star ratings
The Australian Government Health Star Rating is an online calculator that food manufacturers can use to
give their food a star rating out of 5.
The stars are based on a risk factor associated with chronic disease and take into account the calories, fat,
sodium and total sugar content.
It provides a simple (and simplistic) way to assess the 'health rating' of a food but doesn't take into account
your personal nutritional needs.
If you really want to be as healthy as possible, make an appointment with a certified nutritionist or
dietitian who will advise you on your personal nutritional needs and help you make sense of food labels.
Conclusion
Food labels can be very confusing and tricky to understand. Often we don’t have the time to spend trying
to work out what they mean and how to use them. Hope, these quick tips can make you more aware while
shopping for healthy food a whole lot easier and quicker and can help you lose weight. Knowing what
nutrition information to look for, can help you make the best choice for your health and avoid unnecessary
saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and kilojoules.

References
Nutrition guidelines | healthyfoodguide.com.au | Retrieved on 03.09.2019 from
https://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/resources/nutrition-guidelines
March 2018 | A balanced diet | healthdirect.gov.au | Retrieved on 03.09.2019 from
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/balanced-diet
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) | betterhealth.vic.gov.au | Retrieved on 03.09.2019 from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/food-standards-australia-new-zealand-fsanz
Understanding what’s in my food | sanitarium.com.au|Retrieved on 03.09.2019 from
https://www.sanitarium.com.au/health-nutrition/nutrition/understanding-food-labels
16 AUG 2019 |Layla Martin | Making sense of food labels and nutrition panels | bhg.com.au| Retrieved
on 03.09.2019 from
https://foodieworldmelbourne.tumblr.com/post/187043566280/how-to-read-food-labels-understandnutrition