How to read food labels in Australia: your ultimate guide to healthier choices

If you’re trying to eat healthier, lose weight, or manage a health condition, navigating supermarket shelves can feel overwhelming. Packaging often makes bold claims - but what’s really inside? That’s where food labels come in.

Understanding how to read food labels is essential for making informed decisions about what you eat. Whether you're managing health conditions, seeking weight loss, or just aiming for a balanced diet, Australian food labels offer valuable insights into your food choices.

 

Why is Reading Food Labels Important?

Reading food labels empowers you to make healthier dietary choices, manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, allergies, and assists in weight loss. Being aware of what goes into packaged foods can significantly impact your overall health.

 

Overview of Food Labelling Laws in Australia

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) regulates food labelling laws. All packaged foods must legally include:

• Nutrition Information Panel
• Ingredient Lists
• Allergen Declarations
• Accurate nutritional claims

The Health Star Rating System complements these standards by visually indicating a food product’s overall nutritional quality.

 

Understanding the Nutrition Information Panel

The Nutrition Information Panel provides details per serving and per 100 grams, helping you compare products easily.

As Professor Mark Lawrence from Deakin University notes, the Nutrition Information Panel is often the most valuable part of the label—providing a snapshot of the product’s energy, fat, sugar, and sodium content at a glance.

Key nutrients to check include:

• Energy (Kilojoules): Essential for weight management.
• Protein: Supports muscle growth and repair.
• Fat and Saturated Fat: Choose foods lower in saturated fat to protect heart health.
• Carbohydrates and Sugar: Watch these closely for diabetes management and weight loss.
• Dietary Fibre: Higher fibre promotes digestive health.
• Sodium (Salt): Important for heart health and blood pressure control.

The “per 100g” column allows you to compare similar products side-by-side, regardless of their package size or suggested serving. This is especially helpful when choosing between different brands.

 

Using Food Labels for Weight Loss

Reading labels supports weight loss by identifying low-kilojoule, high-fibre foods, managing fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. Check the kilojoule count per serving and choose foods low in sugars and saturated fats.

 

Reading Food Labels for Diabetes and Prediabetes

For effective diabetes management, it’s essential to monitor carbohydrate content, added sugar levels, and the Glycaemic Index (GI) of packaged foods. The Nutrition Information Panel can help you identify the total carbohydrate and sugar content of a product, while the ingredients list can reveal hidden sources of added sugars that may affect blood glucose control.

Products like breakfast cereals, breads, snack bars, and sauces often appear healthy but can contain significant quantities of fast-digesting carbohydrates or high-GI ingredients.

When reading labels, look for whole grain options with minimal added sugar, and be wary of misleading claims like “no added sugar,” which can still contain concentrated fruit juices or refined starches.

Understanding food labels through the lens of diabetes can make a significant difference in day-to-day blood sugar management. We’ll explore this in more detail in our upcoming article: How to Read Food Labels for Diabetics. Here we’ll break down specific label-reading strategies, low-GI food swaps, and common pitfalls to avoid in the supermarket aisle.

 

Understanding Labels for Heart Health and Cholesterol

Identify saturated and trans fats, cholesterol content, and sodium levels. Selecting heart-friendly products like lean meats, margarine alternatives, and low-salt foods contributes positively to heart health. We cover this further in our article on healthy eating for heart health.

 

Food Labels for Allergies and Coeliac Disease

Australian labels clearly identify common allergens, including nuts, eggs, gluten, soybeans, and dairy. Look for specific phrases like gluten-free for coeliac disease or autoimmune conditions, and "may contain" warnings for potential cross-contamination.

Food labels also list any food additives, which can include preservatives, colours, flavour enhancers, emulsifiers, and thickeners. These are often shown by name or code number (e.g., E102, E621) and must comply with FSANZ safety standards.

While many additives are considered safe, some individuals, particularly those with allergies, asthma, or sensitivities, may experience adverse reactions. It's important to familiarise yourself with any additives you or your family may react to and check labels accordingly.

 

Decoding Food Labels for Salt and Potassium

Salt can appear in many forms on an ingredients list, often disguised under different names that may not immediately signal high sodium content. While “salt” or “sea salt” is commonly listed, manufacturers may also use terms like sodium, sodium chloride, mineral salts, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or soy sauce to add flavour or preserve shelf life.

Other additives such as sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, and sodium caseinate also contribute to total sodium levels.

In processed foods, salty ingredients may appear as part of flavouring blends like yeast extract, hydrolysed vegetable protein, or stock powders, which can be deceptively high in sodium. Even sweet-tasting foods such as breakfast cereals, biscuits, and baked goods can contain significant amounts of hidden salt.

While the Nutrition Information Panel will show sodium content per 100 g and per serve, checking the ingredients list for these alternate names helps you better understand where the sodium is coming from and avoid products with excessive hidden salt. This is particularly important if you are managing blood pressure and for cardiovascular health.

 

Don’t Be Fooled by the Health Star Rating System

The Health Star Rating System offers a quick reference for nutritional quality, scoring foods from 0.5 to 5 stars. The more stars, the healthier the product is considered to be within its category (e.g., comparing breakfast cereals with other cereals). It’s a voluntary system, though many major brands have adopted it.

The Australian Health Star Rating System is controversial because critics argue it oversimplifies nutritional value and can be misleading. It often rewards processed foods with high ratings if they are low in sugar, salt, and fat, without considering additives, portion sizes, or the overall quality of ingredients. This can result in unhealthy foods appearing healthier than they really are. Opponents believe the system fails to encourage whole, minimally processed foods, and does not sufficiently penalise products with artificial ingredients. Many are calling for change to make the ratings more transparent and reflective of true nutritional quality.

If referring to the health star rating, it is best used to compare similar products (e.g., yoghurts vs yoghurts), not across categories (e.g. yoghurt vs frozen pizza). While convenient, always cross-reference star ratings with detailed nutritional information and ingredient lists to make your own assessment.

 

Common Mistakes When Reading Food Labels

Avoid common pitfalls like misreading serving sizes, trusting nutrition claims without verification, and overlooking ingredient lists. Be cautious of health marketing terms such as "good source of calcium" or "low-fat," which might still include unhealthy elements.

For example, low-fat products are often perceived as healthier, but they can be misleading. Many are higher in added sugars to compensate for flavour loss. This can be particularly problematic for people managing diabetes or prediabetes, as the spike in sugar content may negatively impact blood glucose levels.

A product marketed as low in fat might have more kilojoules or a higher glycaemic index than its full-fat counterpart. Always check the Nutrition Information Panel and ingredient list to get the full picture, rather than relying solely on front-of-pack marketing or health claims.

 

How to Read Ingredients Lists

Ingredients on Australian food labels are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first few ingredients make up the bulk of the product. This makes the ingredient list a powerful tool for identifying whether a food is genuinely nutritious or heavily processed.

Pay close attention to added sugars, which may be disguised under names like glucose syrup, fructose, maltose, cane juice, fruit concentrate, or rice syrup. Similarly, high levels of added salt (sodium) may appear as salt, sea salt, yeast extract, sodium bicarbonate, or mineral salts.

Look out for unhealthy fats such as hydrogenated oils and trans fats, which can contribute to cardiovascular disease when consumed in excess. Products claiming to be “low-fat” or “cholesterol-free” may instead rely on starches, emulsifiers, gums, or artificial thickeners to mimic creaminess or texture.

Also, check for preservatives and additives (e.g., E211 for sodium benzoate or E621 for MSG), which some people may be sensitive to. If an ingredients list is long and filled with unfamiliar additives or multiple numbered food chemicals, it’s often a sign the product is highly processed.

When it comes to grains, distinguish between whole grains (e.g. whole wheat flour, rolled oats, brown rice) and refined grains (e.g. wheat flour, white rice, maize starch), which are stripped of fibre and nutrients. A product that claims to be “wholegrain” should list whole grains near the top of the ingredients list - not buried beneath refined ones. Recognising these patterns helps you avoid ultra-processed foods and make more informed, healthy choices.

 

Quick Tips for Making Smarter Food Choices

Check kilojoules and nutrient values per 100g.

• Choose products lower in sugar, salt, and saturated fats.
• Prioritise whole grains, fresh vegetables, lean proteins, and plain yoghurts over processed options. Our article on the healthiest supermarket foods talks more about this.
• Regularly refer to reliable sources like Australia New Zealand Food Standards or the National Heart Foundation of Australia for updates.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why do we use food labels?

In Australia, food labels are used to help consumers make informed and healthier choices by providing essential information about nutrition, ingredients, allergens, and serving sizes. They support dietary management, food safety, and legal compliance, enabling people to choose foods that align with their health needs and preferences.

How can I quickly identify added sugars?

Look for sugars listed under various names such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, muscovado, and demerara. This list isn't exhaustive, and sugar can often include fruit juice concentrates, syrups, juices, natural and alternative sugars. Look for words ending in "ose", or anything listed as a concentrate or syrup.

Do all packaged foods need labels in Australia?

Yes, nearly all packaged foods must include detailed nutrition information and ingredient lists, with some limited exceptions.

How accurate are serving sizes on labels?

Serving sizes vary widely; always cross-reference serving size with your typical portion to avoid unintended calorie intake.

Can food labels help manage weight loss and diabetes effectively?

Absolutely. Detailed reading of labels supports healthier eating habits tailored specifically for weight loss and diabetes management, which we’ll cover comprehensively in future articles.

 

Conclusion

Understanding food labels is critical to eating a healthy diet and effective health management. By mastering label reading, Australians can confidently make informed decisions, improving overall dietary health and lifestyle.

Also see Zoe Bingley-Pullin's article about how you can beat the marketing claims and select the healthiest options from your supermarket shelf, every time.