Food labels: Can we trust them?

Consumers shouldn’t worry that the nutrients in packaged foods are not the same as what’s stated on the labels, according to the NZFSA.

“Variations in nutrient claims are not a food safety concern and are expected as the level of nutrient on the nutrition panel is based on an average,” says New Zealand Food Safety Authority assistant director Jenny Reid. Her comments come in response to concerns raised after studies comparing actual nutrient levels with those claimed on the labels of a variety of products have found discrepancies. Of the foods tested in the surveys, almost 58% were different from label claims, with 15% containing less than the stated level of nutrient and 42% containing more than the label said.

Ms Reid says labels give you an average reading. “Rather than tell you exactly what nutrients you will get from eating a food on one occasion, the labels give you a picture of the nutrients you will get from routinely eating that particular product.” She says labels are indicative and useful tools to provide guidance for people who want to compare different products, and stresses that none of the results gave reason for concerns. “The permitted claimable levels of the various nutrients have huge inbuilt safety margins.”

Source: NZFSA