Food labels contain everything you need to know about what you're actually eating โ but they're designed by food companies to sell products as much as to inform consumers. Understanding how to read them properly is one of the most practical skills you can develop for eating well, managing allergens, and seeing through marketing claims that are technically true but practically misleading.
The Ingredients List: Start Here
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first three to five ingredients make up the majority of the product. If the first ingredient is sugar, refined flour, or a cheap oil, that's primarily what you're eating regardless of what the front of the pack claims. A product marketed as an "oat bar" whose first ingredient is sugar, with oats appearing fifth, is primarily a sugar product with oats added for flavour and marketing purposes.
The ingredients list reveals what marketing hides. "Natural flavouring" covers an enormous range of synthetic compounds that are technically derived from natural sources. "Whole wheat flour" sounds wholesome but in small quantities does little to change the glycaemic profile of a refined wheat product. The more ingredients a product has โ particularly ingredients you couldn't use in a home kitchen โ the more processed it is.
Nutrition Facts: What to Look at and What to Ignore
The nutrition information panel shows values per 100g and often per serving. The per-100g figures allow direct comparison between products. The serving size is defined by the manufacturer and is frequently unrealistically small โ a crisp company's 30g serving is not what most people eat in a sitting.
Calories: Useful context but not the whole picture. 500 calories of salmon, vegetables, and olive oil creates a very different physiological response from 500 calories of biscuits. Focus on nutrient quality alongside calorie density.
Fat: The total fat figure is less informative than the breakdown. Saturated fat is the concern โ the NHS recommends no more than 20g daily for women, 30g for men. Trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) should be zero in products produced in or for the UK market since 2018 restrictions.
Sugar: The "of which sugars" figure includes both natural sugars (from fruit, dairy) and added sugars. The ingredients list tells you which: if sugar, glucose syrup, fructose, dextrose, or any of the 60+ names for added sugar appear early in the list, the product has significant added sugar. The NHS recommends no more than 30g of free (added) sugars daily for adults.
Salt: The NHS recommends no more than 6g daily. Many single processed food products โ soups, sauces, bread, ready meals โ provide a significant fraction of this in one serving. High sodium intake is closely linked to hypertension.
Fibre: Most UK adults consume roughly half the recommended 30g daily. Any food providing 6g or more per serving makes a meaningful contribution. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit are the primary sources.
Front of Pack Labelling: Traffic Lights and Health Claims
The traffic light system โ green, amber, and red indicators for fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt โ is a voluntary industry initiative adopted by most major UK retailers and manufacturers. A product with mostly green and amber lights is generally nutritionally reasonable. Multiple red lights indicate a product that should be an occasional choice, not a regular staple.
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Health claims on packaging are regulated but creative. "A source of calcium" means the product contains at least 15% of the reference intake per 100g โ achievable even in products with minimal nutritional value. "Low fat" means less than 3g of fat per 100g โ but many low-fat products compensate with added sugar to maintain palatability. "No added sugar" means no sugars have been added, but the product may still contain significant natural sugars. Read the nutrition panel, not the front of pack.
Allergen Information: A Safety Matter
Under UK law (post-Natasha's Law 2021), the 14 major allergens must be clearly emphasised in the ingredients list โ typically in bold, capital letters, or a different colour. For people managing food allergies, this is the most important part of any label. The 14 allergens are: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide/sulphites.
"May contain traces of" warnings are precautionary declarations made voluntarily by manufacturers where cross-contamination risk exists in production. They are not legally standardised and their presence or absence is not a reliable indicator of actual risk. For people with severe allergies, the safest approach is to contact manufacturers directly or to buy from dedicated allergen-free producers like Vanda's Kitchen, where structural controls eliminate cross-contamination risk entirely.
Date Labels: The Practical Guide
Use by is a safety date. Best before is a quality date. Use by must be respected. Best before can often be ignored if the food looks, smells, and tastes normal. This distinction alone could save the average UK household several hundred pounds in unnecessary food waste annually.
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Related: Food Allergy vs Food Intolerance: Understanding the Critical Difference ยท Understanding Allergens