Reading a food label like a detective

Every packet has two sides. The front is designed to make you want the product: bright colours, cartoon characters, words like 'natural' or 'made with real fruit'. The back holds the evidence. By law, most packaged food in New Zealand must show a nutrition information panel and an ingredients list.

Use the per 100 g column

The panel has two columns: per serving and per 100 g. Serving sizes are chosen by the company and can be tiny, so always compare the per 100 g column. That way you compare the same amount of each food. Some handy guides from NZ health organisations:

Sugar in teaspoons

Four grams of sugar is about one teaspoon. A regular fizzy drink has around 10 g of sugar per 100 mL, so a 600 mL bottle holds about 60 g: roughly 15 teaspoons. Sugar feeds mouth bacteria that make acid, and fizzy drinks are acidic too, which is why they are hard on teeth.

The ingredients list

Ingredients are listed from most to least by weight. If sugar is in the first three, there's a lot of it. Sugar hides under many names: sucrose, glucose syrup, dextrose, honey, maltodextrin and fruit juice concentrate.

Health Star Ratings

Some packets show a Health Star Rating from half a star to five stars. It's useful for comparing similar foods, like two cereals, but not a cereal with a yoghurt. It's also voluntary in New Zealand, so companies choose whether to use it.

The tricks on the front

Food ads aimed at young people link products to fun, friends, being sporty or being popular. Watch for characters, prizes, celebrity athletes and health-sounding words. Ask: what does the label say? And what does the ad leave out?