The fats and oils we use for cooking and spreading are easy to see, and therefore easier to control. But almost three quarters of the fat we consume is not visible. Cakes, biscuits, savoury snacks and meat products are all full of bad fats, but it isn’t always easy to tell how much these foods contain.  

Food labels are a helpful tool to guide you in your food choices and they can also be used to help keep your intake at a healthy level.

Some labels will also tell you the types of fats they contain. Try to choose foods that are high in 'good' polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and low in 'bad' saturated and trans fats.

How to read food labels

The nutritional information on products is commonly displayed as per 100g or per serving. Rather use the 'per serving' amount to get a more accurate idea of the quantities you are actually consuming.
For some products, like spreads, information is also provided per recommended daily intake. (e.g. 30g Flora per day).

Typical values	Per 30g Flora light (* recommended daily intake)	Per 100g Flora light
Energy (KJ)*	557kj	1857kj
Protein	0	0
Carbohydrates	0	0
Sugars	0	0
Total Fat ** SAFA MUFA PUFA Omega 6 fatty acids Omega 3 fatty acids TFA	15g 4g 3g 8g 7g 1g 0	50g 12g 11g 26g 23g 3g <1g
Sodium***	120mg	400g
Vitamin ***	200µg RE	667µg
Vitamin D***	2µg	5µg
Vitamin E***	5mg α TE	17mg
Vitamin B6***	1mg	3mg
Folic Acid***	100µg	333µg
Vitamin B12***	1mg	2µg

*What do they tell me ? The number of kilojules (KJ).
**Different kinds of FAT
***Vitamins and minerals