10a. Food Labelling and Additives Flashcards
Where do food labels appear?
On all processed foods
How might a consumer use a food label for better health?
Type of fats/oils used Sugar per serving Salt per serving Additives/preservatives/artificial colours Nutrients Calories GMO
What information must be shown on a food label?
Name of food Processing method e.g. roasted, dried Weight/volume Ingredients Preparation instructions Storage instructions Best before/use by date Name/address of manufacturer
How are ingredients listed on food labels?
All must be included
In order according to weight (highest first)
When must the percentage of an ingredient be listed?
If it’s mentioned e.g. extra blueberries
If it’s mentioned in the name of the product e.g. blueberry and apple pie
If consumers would connect with an ingredient in a product e.g. fruit in summer pudding
What information is mandatory on the back of a food label?
Energy - kJ and Kcal Fat (total) + saturated Carbs (total) + sugar Protein Salt (sodium chloride) Values given per 100g/100ml
What information is voluntary on the back of food labels?
Mono/polyunsaturates Polyols (sweeteners) Starch Fibre Any vits/minerals providing more than 15% of the NRV
What are reference intakes?
The max amount of calories, macronutrients and salt that should be consumed in a day
What are the benefits of RIs?
Helps consumers see how many calories, macronutrients and salt are in a portion of food in comparison to the healthy amount recommended in a day
How are RIs expressed on food labels?
As a percentage of daily RI
Where can RI percentages be displayed?
On front or back of pack
What are daily RIs based on?
Average sized woman doing an average amount of physical activity
How many calories are in the daily RI?
2000
How much fat is in the daily RI?
70g of which 20g saturated
How many carbs are in the daily RI?
260g of which 90g sugars
How much protein is in the daily RI?
50g
How much salt is in the daily RI?
6g
What information is voluntary on the front of food labels?
Traffic light system
What information must be shown in the traffic light system?
Energy value (kJ and kcal) Fat (g) Saturates (g) Sugars (g) Salt (g)
Why can traffic light systems be misleading?
Says nothing about the nutritional value of food
‘Red’ fat on a bag of roasted nuts is different to the ‘red’ fat on a packet of pork pies
How many allergens are there that must be listed on a food label if included in a product?
14
How must allergens be listed in the ingredients?
Bold
Contrasting colour
Underlined
If products are sold in multipacks, where must allergen information also be displayed?
On the outer packaging
Which products require additional warnings on the label?
Drinks with alcohol contain above 1.2%
GM ingredients above 0.9%
If gas has been used as part of the packaging process
Not suitable for pregnant women
Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect
If a product states it is ‘free from’ what must manufacturers endeavour to do?
Ingredients/packaging must not contain the allergen
Cross contamination must be prevented
Does ‘free from’ always mean healthy?
No
Does ‘gluten free’ have to be free from gluten?
No
Can have up to 20mg/kg of gluten
What are GMOs?
Living organisms whose genetic material has been manipulated through genetic engineering
Why are crops genetically engineered?
To be resistant to pests and pesticides
Which country freely uses GMO crops and foods?
USA
Which crops are commonly genetically engineered?
Corn
Soya
Rice
Cotton
When can pre-packed products be labelled as organic?
When at least 95% of the ingredients are organic
What must the label of organic foods state?
Where the farmed ingredients in products were produced
Code number of certifying body
In what ways can labels be misleading?
Low calorie High fibre Low fat No added sugar No sugar Natural
Why can ‘low calorie’ be misleading?
Difference may be negligible
Why can ‘high fibre’ be misleading?
May still be high in salt, sugar
Highly processed
Why can ‘low fat’ be misleading?
May still be high in sugar, additives and preservatives
Why can ‘no added sugar’ be misleading?
May still be high in naturally occurring sugars
Why can ‘no sugar’ be misleading?
Has artificial sweeteners when taste is sweet
Why can ‘natural’ be misleading?
Not everything labelled natural is healthy or natural
What is a nutrition claim?
Any claim that suggests, states or implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties e.g. low fat
When are nutrition claims allowed?
If they are on the EU pre-approved list
How much fat is allowed in food to be called low fat?
No more than:
3g per 100g (solids)
1.5g per 100ml (liquids)
What are food additives?
Substances added to foods to prolong shelf life, alter taste, texture, colour or make more visually appealing
What are the six main categories of E numbers?
Colours Preservatives Antioxidants Emulsifiers/stabilisers/thickeners/gelling agents Flavour enhancers Sweeteners
What three categories do food additives fall under?
Artificial
Nature-identical
Natural
What are artificial food additives?
Made synthetically
What are nature-identical food additives?
Manufactured copies of substances found naturally in food
e.g. benzoic acid found in fruit
What are natural food additives?
Extracted from food for use in other foods
What are colour additives used for?
To make food look more appealing
Restore colour lost through processing
Make existing colours brighter
What category of E number are colours?
E100
Examples of foods containing artificial colours
Cheese Cakes Custard powder Sweets Yoghurt
Examples of natural food colours
E100 curcumin
E101/E106 riboflavin
E162 beetroot
Examples of artificial colours
E110 sunset yellow
E102 tartrazine
E104 quinoline yellow
What adverse effects are colouring additives associated with?
Hyperactivity
Poor concentration
What are preservatives used for?
Slow down composition of food Control contamination (through antimicrobial properties)
What category of E number are preservatives?
E200
Examples of preservatives
E211 Sodium benzoate
E220 Sulphur dioxide
E251 Sodium nitrate