How to read food labels
This advice is for you if your BMI was in or above the recommended range before pregnancy. If you are underweight, have had or are in recovery from disordered eating, the information on this page may be more helpful for you.
Labels on food packets can help you pick the healthier option between similar products. They can also help you to think about the ingredients in different foods. But you also need to be wary of health claims on labels.
On this page
Be cautious about health claims
Check out labels on ready meals
Eating well in pregnancy
It is important to eat well during pregnancy to keep you and your baby healthy. This means trying to eat a variety of foods from the different food groups each day.
Labels on food packaging can help you with this. They can tell you the following nutritional information:
- how much energy (calories) a portion contains, or how many calories are in 100g
- the amount of fat, saturates (saturated fat), carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt included in the food
- the ingredients in the food
- whether the food contains things that could set off allergic reactions
- the date by which you should eat it.
The front of packaging
Most food packaging that you find in supermarkets has a label on the front with a summary of its nutritional information. This makes it easier and quicker to compare similar products.
Labels should say how much of the following is included in a portion of the food:
- energy (calories)
- fat
- saturated fat
- sugars
- salt.
There is a maximum amount (limit) to how much of these you should have each day. The label will use a percentage to say you how much of your limit is in the food.
For example, it could say that 1 portion of your cereal has 20% of the maximum amount of sugar you should eat in a day. Be aware that your portions might be bigger than the amount listed on the pack as a portion.
Food labels may also use red, amber and green colours to give you an idea of how healthy the food is. This lets you see easily whether the food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt:
- red means high
- amber means medium
- green means low.
You can also check what’s in your food by using NHS food scanner app.
Fat
The 2 main types of fat found in food are saturated and unsaturated. The nutrition label tells you how much total fat is in the food and it also shows you what portion of that is saturated.
Everyone should try to cut down on food that is high in fat, especially if it’s saturated. Eating lots of foods that are high in saturated fat can raise your cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease. So cutting down on foods that are high in saturated fat is important for a healthy diet.
Food that is high in fat is usually also high in energy (calories). Eating too many calories over time can cause too much weight gain. Being a healthy weight in pregnancy is good for you and your baby.
Some people are very worried about weight gain during pregnancy but try not to put pressure on yourself. Talk to your midwife if you are worried about gaining too much weight. The best thing you can do for you and your baby’s health is trying to eat a healthy, balanced diet as much as possible.
Sugars
Sugars are naturally found in foods like fruit and milk. The sugars in food like sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sugary drinks should be had in smaller amounts. Having these in large amounts increases your risk of obesity and tooth decay.
Salt
Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which puts you at increased risk of health problems like heart disease and stroke.
Be cautious about health claims
Food packaging often makes health claims for a food. It might say, it ‘helps maintain a healthy heart’, or ‘helps aid digestion’.
Food companies are only allowed to make claims such as ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’ if there is evidence for this. This means that they must tell you how and why the food is ‘healthy’.
Light (or lite) and reduced
Sometimes labels say a food is ‘light’ or ‘lite’ or it claims to be ‘reduced’ in something like fat or sugar. This means it must be at least 30 percent lower than the standard version. The label must explain exactly what has been reduced and by how much – for example, ‘Light – 30% less fat’.
The words ‘light’, ‘low fat’ or ‘no added sugar’ can be misleading. You may be surprised at how little difference there is between foods that say they’re ‘light’ or ‘reduced’ and those that do not. A ‘light’ version of a brand of crisps may contain the same amount of fat or calories as the standard version of another brand.
A food may also say it's ‘lower fat’, but contain more of another unhealthy ingredient, such as sugar.
Low fat
Food can only claim to be low in fat if it contains no more than:
- 3g of fat per 100g for solid food
- 1.5g of fat per 100ml for liquids.
No-added-sugar
‘No added sugar’ means that no sugar has been added as an extra ingredient. The food might naturally have sugar in it, such as in dried fruit.
Check out labels on ready meals
If you are buying a ready meal, do not choose it based on the picture or the name. The picture may be just a serving suggestion and name might make it look like the main ingredient is something that it is not.
You might be surprised how little there is of some of the foods in the picture. Read the label so you know what is included in the meal.
The label should tell you how much of the main ingredient is in the meal. The ingredients are listed in order of how much of each is in the pack.
Use by dates
‘Use by’ dates are sometimes on labels and are often printed directly on the packaging.
If the food is past its ‘use by’ date, do not eat it, even if it looks and smells okay. Eating it after this date could make you ill.
Always follow additional instructions such as ‘keep in a refrigerator’, otherwise the ‘use by’ date is not valid.
Some foods, such as frozen, tinned or dried products, have a ‘best before date’. After this date the food may not be harmful but will not be as nice to eat. Try to use foods before their ‘best before’ date to be sure.
Review dates
