Can You Read a “Nutrition Label”?

Nutrition labels are those small print details on food packaging that many people need a magnifier to read. Believe it or not — these seemingly trivial details involve a lot of knowledge! 

What a Nutrition Label Usually Contains

Food labels typically include: product name, manufacturer, expiration date, nutritional information, ingredient list, weight, and storage instructions. 

Below I’ll go through each part, explaining what to watch out for. 

 Beware of Tricky Naming

Food names have clear legal definitions. For example:

• “Apple Juice” must be extracted from apples.

• “Apple Juice Drink” must contain at least 5% apple juice.

• “Apple flavoured Drink” does not necessarily contain any apple content. 

Similarly, there are distinctions such as “Butter” vs “Margarine” (plant based fat), or “Ice Cream” vs “Ice Confectionary” — the latter might not contain sufficient dairy to qualify as ice cream under legal definition. 

Thus, as consumers we need to read carefully: some products’ names may mislead if you don’t check the ingredient list. 

How to Interpret Ingredients

• Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight — the first few items are the ones present in the largest amounts. 

• All potential allergens should be clearly labeled. 

By looking at this, a consumer can judge whether a food item is truly healthy (or what to avoid).

For example: if you buy a chili sauce, sugar shouldn’t appear first; if you buy coffee, sugar shouldn’t be listed at the top. 

In fact, there is a long standing problem of excessive added sugar in Malaysian foods. Some studies indicate the average Malaysian consumes about 26 teaspoons of white sugar daily — far exceeding the daily 6 teaspoon limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Excessive sugar consumption has contributed to growing problems of obesity and diabetes. 

When reading nutrition labels, many people pay special attention to hidden sugars, sodium (salt), and trans fatty acids. These are common “hidden risks.” 

For example: “trans fat” is often indicated by the ingredient “Partially Hydrogenated Fat.” If a product uses liquid vegetable oil but is solid at room temperature, that’s a red flag. 

Nutritional Facts & Legal Standards

Under Malaysian food regulations, nutrition labels must include certain mandatory nutrients: energy (calories), protein, fat, carbohydrates, total sugar, and total sodium. This requirement helps protect consumers from misleading advertising. 

Take the example of a diabetic who needs to control sugar intake: if the product does not list “total sugar,” how can the consumer know whether it’s safe? 

This situation also raises another common issue: the mismatch between advertisement claims and the actual nutrition label. For instance, to be legally labeled “low calorie,” a solid food must have at most 40 kcal per 100 /g (or 20 kcal per 100 /g for liquid foods). For a food to be “low sugar,” it must have at most 5 /g sugar per 100 /g; for “low fat,” at most 3 /g fat per 100 /g (solid) or 0.15 /g fat per 100 /g (liquid); for “low sodium,” at most 0.12 /g sodium per 100 /g. 

If a product claims to be “low calorie” or “low sugar” without meeting these legal criteria, that’s misleading. The same goes for exaggerated health claims like “helps control blood sugar daily,” or “makes tumors disappear” — such statements require scientific proof. 

Common Legitimate Nutrient Claims

Certified nutritional claims often used in products include statements such as:

• Calcium helps bone and teeth development

• Folic acid helps cell division and fetal development, supports red blood cell formation

• Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body

• Maltodextrin (or similar fibers) helps lower cholesterol

• Vitamin C helps iron absorption

• Soy protein helps lower cholesterol
  But if a product claims that “Vitamin C boosts kids’ immunity” or “this milk powder guarantees top exam scores,” such claims are likely exaggerated or unproven. 

Conclusion — A Nutrition Label Is Like a Food’s ID Card

In short: food labels are like the ID card of a food item. They help consumers understand what’s inside and how much nutrition you actually get. Learning how to read and interpret nutrition labels helps you avoid many misleading marketing traps, and make healthier, more informed food choices.

Original Article From Nanyang Daily:https://www.enanyang.my/news/20240929/Supplement/639768 (Written By Edward Lau, Founder of Ingrelicious and Diet Clinic)