A food label tells you almost everything you need to know, if you know where to look. Most people glance at the calories and stop. With a few simple habits you can read any UK label in seconds and actually understand it. Here is how.
Per 100g is your friend
Packs show nutrition two ways: per 100g (or 100ml) and often per serving. The per serving figure can be flattering, because the "serving" might be smaller than the amount you would really eat.
Per 100g is the honest comparison tool. Because it is a fixed amount, you can line up two products side by side and compare them fairly, no matter the pack size. Use per 100g to compare, and per serving to understand what you are actually about to eat.
The traffic lights, quickly
Many front-of-pack labels use red, amber and green for fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt:
| Colour | Rough meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Low, a good amount |
| Amber | Medium, fine in moderation |
| Red | High, worth keeping an eye on |
A few reds do not make a food forbidden. A pack of mostly greens and ambers is a reasonable everyday choice. Think of it as a glance, not a verdict.
The ingredients list tells a story
Ingredients are listed by weight, most first. That one rule reveals a lot. If sugar, or a sugar by another name, is near the top, the product is largely sugar. If a whole food you would expect is far down the list, there is less of it than the front of the pack suggests.
A short list of recognisable ingredients is usually a good sign. A very long list with lots of additives usually means a heavily processed food.
Let forme read the label for you
Scan the barcode and forme turns the whole label into a personal score with the reasons in plain language.
Sugar hides under many names
"No added sugar" and "low fat" on the front do not always mean what you hope. Check the back, where sugar can appear under names such as:
- Glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose (anything ending in "ose")
- Syrups: glucose syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup
- Concentrated fruit juice
- Honey, molasses, treacle
They all count as sugar to your body. The total sugar figure per 100g captures them, which is another reason that number is so useful.
Do not forget fibre and protein
Labels often bury the good news. Fibre and protein are worth a look, because they tend to make food more filling and more useful. A choice that is higher in fibre and protein and lower in sugar and salt is usually a better everyday pick, whatever the front of pack is shouting.
A 10-second routine
- Glance at the traffic lights.
- Check sugar and salt per 100g.
- Scan the top three ingredients.
- Note the fibre and protein.
Where forme fits
Reading labels well is a genuinely useful skill, and forme does the reading for you when you want a shortcut. Scan a barcode and it pulls the same information, weighs it against your own goals, and gives you a personal score with the honest reasons behind it. You still learn what matters, you just spend less time squinting at small print, and you see how it fits your whole day rather than one number in isolation.