Food Labelling

    

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Food Labelling

Codex standards on food labelling have been prepared through the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL). Like other Codex standards, these standards have been prepared through a well-defined and transparent set of procedures.

Federal regulations have made it easier to know exactly what you’re getting.  Information and language on the label are standardize. No more standing in the aisles wondering “what’s in this stuff?” 

Aware of food quality

An increasing number of consumers and governments are becoming aware of food quality and safety issues and are realising the need to be selective about the foods people eat.  “One of the nice things about the new food label is that right next to the listing of calories in the food is of calories from  fat.” Says Martin Y, R.D., a Los Angeles Dietitian from American DA.

But while today’s food labels are accurate and accessible, they contain more information than you’ll probably need. Food labelling is the primary means of communication between the producer and seller of food on the one hand, and the purchaser and consumer on the other.

If your goal is losing weight, focus on the information that pertains to that-the serving size, and the amounts of fat and calories that are in the product.  In United States, it is compulsory to put nutrition labels on processed food. This information is regulated by law to meet certain conditions and follow a standardised format.

WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.  A draft Action Plan on how Codex can assist in the implementation of the Global Strategy was prepared. Seven specific proposed actions were discussed at length during the CCFL meeting in 2007.

Malaysia has been participating in Codex activities since the 1960s. Since 1996, the Food Safety and Quality Division of MOH has been the Codex Secretariat for Malaysia. In our country, you may not be able to find nutrition labels on every product. This is because the law does not require food manufacturers to include such information. If they do so, it is voluntary. Neither is there a system to ensure that the nutrition information is true. some food products, large words spell out Cholesterol-free or High-calcium in eyecatching colours. These are called nutrition claims, which are currently not regulated by law either. 

Suppose you’re looking for an eminently tasty spreadable that’s not too bad for the waistline.  You’re not going to study, down to the last milligram, all the minutiae on every product that land in your cart. You know to look for, you can separate the wheat from the chaff or the high fat from the non fat – with just a glance.

Labelling on food helps people make healthy and informed choices about the foods they buy and eat. How to use the nutrition facts table are significant supports to improved public health. By regulating the labelling of foods that might contain ingredients that can induce dangerous allergic reactions like peanuts, milk and eggs, to make it easier to eat safely and with confidence.

The Daily Values

Along the right side of each food label is a column of percentages labelled “% Daily Value” . These numbers are based on a 2,000-calories diet ( men typically eat more-around 2,200 to 2,400 calories a day). They provide an easy way to tell how far the different parts of the food; the total carbohydrates, cholesterol, fat, vitamin and so on go toward meeting your daily limits.  

Learn to make healthier food choices by using nutrition labelling information, because nutrition labelling is information found on the labels of prepackaged foods. Suppose, for example, one serving of cookies contains one one gram of dietary fiber, or 3% of your ‘Daily Values’

Walk away from saturated fat

Right below the ‘Total fat’ line is ‘Saturated fat’.  Again, you want  this number to be low ,low since  saturated  fat.- which has been linked to obesity and heart disease – is truly nasty. No more than 10 percent of calories should come from saturated fat.

If that toothsome dessert you’re eyeing comes in high – say at 10 percent of your daily limit-you may want to pass  it by.

Nutrition Labelling

These give you information about the nutritional value of a food.  The information includes:

• The calories in an amount of food can also help you make better food choices
• The ingredient to Compare two products to make better food choices 
• Some optional to choose and compare food products for a healthier you.
• You can use this information to make healthier food choices and achieve overall good health.

All of the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based an amount of food. This amount is always found at the top of the Nutrition Facts table.

?Did you know

Nutrition labelling became mandatory for all prepackaged foods on December 12, 2007. This means that all food companies have to include nutrition labelling on their prepackaged foods.