Using food and drink labels to make healthier choices
Learn how to read food labels to make healthier choices. Understand Health Star Ratings, nutrition panels, ingredients, energy and allergen information.
How food labels can help make healthier choices
Labels show what ingredients and nutrients are in your food and drinks. They make it easier to compare products and choose options that support your health.
Choosing healthier foods can help you manage your weight, chronic conditions, and overall wellbeing.
What to look for on food labels
Use food labels to look for products that are:
- higher in fibre
- lower in saturated fat, salt (sodium), added sugars
- lower in energy (kilojoules).
Here are some helpful things to look out for when trying to make healthier choices.
Many packaged foods show a Health Star Rating (HSR) on the front of the label. The HSR helps you compare foods in the same category, such as breakfast cereals with other cereals.
- Ratings range from ½ star (0.5) to 5 stars.
- The more stars, the healthier the choice.
- Fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables always have a 5-star rating.
Tip: Always compare foods in the same category, for example bread with other breads, not bread with yoghurt.
Learn more about Health Star Ratings.
The nutrition information panel is usually found on the back or side of a food or drink package. It shows the amount of nutrients and the serving size. Manufacturers choose the serving size, which can vary between brands and may not reflect a typical serve. Use the per 100g column on the panel to compare products more accurately.
Example panel
Nutrition information
Servings per package: 16
Serving size: 30g (1cup)
| Nutrition Information | Average quantity per serving | Average quantity per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 432kJ | 1441kJ |
| Protein | 2.8g | 9.3g |
| Fat, total - Saturated fat | 0.4g 0.1g | 1.2g 0.3g |
| Carbohydrate - Sugars | 18.9g 3.5g | 62.9g 11.8g |
| Dietary fibre | 6.4g | 21.2g |
| Sodium | 65mg | 215mg |
The nutrition information panel must include these nutrients:
| Nutrient | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Energy | The total energy in kilojoules provided in the food or drink. Protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre all provide energy. |
| Protein | Look for foods labelled ‘high protein’ or compare protein per 100g between similar foods. |
| Fats | This includes healthy fats and unhealthy (saturated) fats. Choose foods lower in saturated fats per 100g. |
| Fibre (dietary fibre) | Fibre won't be listed on all nutrition panels. Look for the highest fibre option per serve. Choose higher fibre foods with more than 2g of fibre per serve. |
| Sodium (salt) | Look for lower sodium varieties or foods labelled ‘low salt’, ‘salt reduced’ or ‘no added salt’. |
| Carbohydrate | Includes starches and sugars. You may need to check this if you need to manage your blood glucose levels. |
| Sugars | Includes added and naturally occurring sugars. Check the ingredients list for names of added sugars and choose foods lower in sugar. |
Learn more about different nutrients at healthdirect.
Try to choose packaged foods with more fibre and less saturated fat, salt (sodium), added sugars and kilojoules (energy). For foods from takeaway stores and fast food and quick service restaurants, look for the options with fewer kilojoules (energy).
Find ideas for healthier meal alternatives and snacks.
The ingredient list tells you what is in a food or drink. Ingredients are listed in order by weight, from most to least. Foods or drinks high in fats, sugars or salt will have ingredients based on these listed in the first three ingredients and are usually less healthy choices.
Sugars, salt and saturated fat can sometimes be labelled under different ingredient names in the ingredients list.
| Ingredient | Other names to look out for |
|---|---|
| Sugars | Glucose, sucrose, fructose or high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, treacle, maple or golden syrup, molasses, hydrolysed starch, and modified starches. |
| Salt (sodium) | Baking powder, celery salt, garlic salt, yeast extract, sea salt, vegetable salt, and additives with sodium in the name such as sodium bicarbonate or monosodium glutamate (MSG). |
| Saturated fat | Palm oil, coconut oil, hydrogenated oil, butter, ghee, beef fat, shortening, copha, cream, dripping, and lard. |
Energy comes from protein, fat, carbohydrates (including sugar), and fibre. Understanding how much energy is in your food can help you make choices that suit your activity level and health goals.
Learn more about kilojoules and energy.
Alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and spirits are high in kilojoules.
New energy tables are appearing on alcohol packaging. These show energy per serve and per 100mL as well as the number of standard drinks in the container.
There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink. Even small amounts can harm your physical and mental health.
Learn more about alcohol and your health.
Some products might make nutrition content claims such as:
- ‘low fat’
- ‘reduced salt’
- ‘high in fibre’
- ‘good source of vitamin C’.
Nutrition claims don’t necessarily mean the food or drink is healthy. For example, a product that’s ‘low fat’ may still be high in kilojoules (energy) from carbohydrates, added sugars or high protein content.
Some products might make claims about health benefits, such as ‘vegetables are a source of vitamin C and vitamin C is needed for healthy teeth and gums’.
Always check the full label, including the Health Star Rating and nutrition information panel, before deciding.
If you have food allergies, you can check for these in the ingredients list, for example common allergens such as eggs, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, soybean, gluten and fish.
Allergens must appear in bold text on ingredient lists to make them easier to identify.