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UNDERSTANDING
THE LABEL

WHAT'S ON YOUR FRONT OF PACK LABEL

Found on the front of the package, the RI label can appear in slightly different formats, although the basic requirements for front of pack labels are now set in European law.

Front of pack nutrition labels will show either:

  • ENERGY Per 25g:
    586kJ
    140kcal     7%*
    Per 100g:2343kJ / 560kcal
  • OR
  • ENERGY
    586kJ
    140kcal     7%*
  • FAT
    fat
    11,3g     16%*
  • Saturates Per 25g:
    saturates
    3,0g     15%*
    Per 100g:2343kJ / 560kcal
  • Sugars
    sugars
    6,1g     7%*
  • Salt
    salt
    1,4g     23%*

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Examples of RIs labels for these two options are shown below:

Roll over the different parts of the label to learn more about what they mean

  • Per 25g: This value corresponds to a portion. A portion is the amount of a food or drink that is reasonably expected to be consumed by an individual in a single consumption occasion. To find out more about portions, click here.
    586kJ
    140kcal kJ (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories) are the units of measurement for energy. These values indicate how much energy one portion of your food contains. An average person needs about 2,000 calories per day     7%* This value means that one portion of this food provides X % of the energy that an average adult needs for one day. An average person needs about 2,000 calories per day.
    This informs you of how much energy is provided by 100g/100ml of your food or drink. This information allows you to easily compare the energy content of your food with that of similar products. Per 100g:2343kJ / 560kcal
  • 586kJ
    140kcal kJ (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories) are the units of measurement for energy. These values indicate how much energy one portion of your food contains. An average person needs about 2,000 calories per day     7%* This value means that one portion of this food provides X % of the energy that an average adult needs for one day. An average person needs about 2,000 calories per day.
  • fat
    11,3g This value indicates the total amount of fat which is present in one portion of your food or drink. There can be different types of fat in a food or drink, including saturated and unsaturated fat.     16%* This value means that one portion of your food or drink provides X % of the maximum amount of fats that an average person is advised to consume in one day.
  • Per 25g:
    saturates
    3,0g This value indicates how much gram of saturated fats are present in one portion of your food or drink.     15%* This value means that one portion of your food or drink provides X % of the maximum amount of saturates that an average person is advised to consume in one day.
    Per 100g:2343kJ / 560kcal This value indicates how much gram of saturated fats are present in one portion of your food or drink.
  • sugars
    6,1g This value indicates the amount of sugars (in grams) which is present in one portion of your food or drink.     7%* This value means that one portion of your food or drink provides X % of the maximum amount of sugars that an average person is advised to consume in one day.
  • salt
    1,4g This value indicates the amount of salt which occurs in one portion of your food or drink.     23%* This value means that one portion of your food or drink provides X % of the maximum amount of salt that an average person is advised to consume in one day..

PORTIONS

Most foods are not consumed on a 100g/ml basis. Therefore, the RI nutrition labelling scheme provides consumers with nutrition information on a “per portion basis”, in addition to the information per 100g/ml.

A portion is the amount of a given food or drink reasonably expected to be consumed by an individual in a single consumption occasion. For instance, on different products you might see explanations such as, “each slice contains” on loaves of bread, or “per bar” on chocolate bars and “per X g portion” on a pack of breakfast cereals.

The Reference Intakes information allows you to see directly the amount of energy or nutrient contained in the portion you are eating or drinking, so that you can consider it in the context of your daily diet.