Nutritional claims on food packets can make food choices easier, saving time reading nutrition panels or doing complicated mathematical calculations, but the information must be correct, appropriate and reliable. Unfortunately, many claims are frequently misunderstood, misinterpreted or simply misread. As a result of the consumer’s perception of the nutritional content of foods, the Australian National Food Authority (NFA) has produced a Code of Practice cm nutrient claims in food labels and in advertisements. Launched in 1995, after lengthy consultation with food manufacturers and health professionals, the Code provides clear criteria that manufacturers must meet before they are permitted to make nutritional claims. There is also a limitation on what claims can be made and on which foods.

Nutritional claims about fat and what they mean.

Reduced-fat – the food must not contain more than 75 per cent of the total fat Lower fat content of the same quantity of the regular item (reference food).

Diet This claim most often applies to foods which have an energy content significantly lower than that at which a ‘reduced-energy’ claim can be made. Unless other criteria are met the food must:

• have an energy content not more than 60 per cent of the reference food

• have a reduced energy content of at least 40 kcal per 100g of food (20kcal per 100g of liquid food)

• there must be a statement of comparison with the reference food.

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