Understanding nutrition labelling
The Co-operative believes in clearly giving you all the facts about the products you buy in our shops. So we put extra information on our labels to help you to unravel the mysteries of nutrition labelling.
On Co-operative Brand products we give comprehensive nutrition information per 100g and per serving (space permitting). In addition we give the following extra information so you don't have to be an expert in nutrition to get the most from the label.
Nutrition at a glance
For a quick check of the Calorie, Fat or Salt content of a serving of a food, look at the roundel on the front of the label.
High, medium and low
To help you make sense of the numbers in the nutrition panel, we also add the words HIGH, MEDIUM and LOW. Very simply, aim for a mix of foods that balance out at MEDIUM or HIGH for carbohydrate and fibre, and MEDIUM for everything else. If you would like to use this scheme and want to know more about how the scheme works, contact us for a fact sheet.
Guideline daily amounts
How much fat, calories and salt is a healthy amount for you? You will find this information in the Guideline Daily Amounts information panel.
This panel shows you the calorie, fat and salt content of a serving of the product, and reminds you of the guideline daily amounts for an average adult. Try to keep a tally of the amount of Calories, fat and salt you eat.
Calories - The number of Calories you need depends upon your age, size and how active you are. These are daily guidelines for healthy adults:
Fat - The recommended daily guidelines for fat vary according to how many Calories you need.
| Women | Men | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1000 | 1500 | 2000 | 2500 |
| Fat | 35g | 55g | 70g | 95g |
| Salt | 5g | 7g | ||
| Key | Dietting Figure | |||
Salt and Sodium
Few people realise that sodium is not the same as salt; looking at the sodium content alone does not tell you how much salt the food contains. As a rough guide, salt content is 21/2 times the sodium content.
A healthy diet should not contain too much salt. Keep a note of how much you are eating and cut down if necessary.
To help you we label:
- Salt content per serving in a box on the front of the pack
- Salt content per serving in a bold statement under the nutrition panel
- A guide for daily salt intakes in the Guideline Daily Amounts panel