Nutrition food labels can help you make heart-healthy choices by giving you quick and easy information about the nutrients in pre-packed foods.
We all rely on pre-packed foods from time to time, and it can be difficult to avoid them entirely. However, food labels can help us make smarter, heart-healthy choices. By checking the front-of-pack traffic light nutrition information, you can quickly spot if a product is high, medium, or low in key nutrients like fat, sugar, and salt. The nutrition table and ingredients list on the back offer even more detail, helping you compare products and choose options that are lower in saturated fat and salt, which are key for maintaining a healthy heart.
Nutrients to check for heart-healthy choices:
Saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
- Look for products with the lowest amounts of these.
- If a product is high in these, try to have it less often or in smaller portions.
Nutrition information can be found:
- Back or side of pack: Detailed nutrition information is usually displayed here.
- Front of pack: Often includes traffic light colour coding for quick comparisons.
Nutrition labels on the back or side of packs
Most pre-packed foods must display nutrition information on the back or side of the packaging.
- How it’s displayed: Usually in a table format
- if space is limited, it can be in a simple list format.
- What must be included.
- The nutrients opposite must be shown by law per 100g of food or 100ml of drink.
- Energy (kJ and kcal)
- Total fat in grams (g). This includes both healthy unsaturated fat and cholesterol-raising saturated fat. Focus on saturated fat rather than total fat for heart health. Find out more.
- Saturated fat in grams (g). Key for heart health – the lower, the better. Find out more.
- Carbohydrate in grams (g). This includes sugars, refined starches, and wholegrains. Not always very helpful as it doesn’t distinguish between the heallthy and unhealthy types of carbs. Find out more.
- Sugars in grams (g). This includes added (free) sugars and those naturally present in whole fruits, vegetables, and milk. For most foods, this is a good measure of added sugars. Find out more about sugars.
- Protein in grams (g). Protein quality matters more than quantity for heart health. Find out more.
- Salt in grams (g). Another critical heart health nutrient. Most of us eat too much salt, which raises blood pressure and increases heart disease risk. Find out more.
Some manufacturers also provide information per serving and may include extra details like fibre, vitamins, or minerals.
Traffic light labels: a quick guide to nutrition quality
The traffic light system is a voluntary system for manufacturers. It helps you see at a glance if a product is high, medium, or low in saturated fat, sugar, and salt, making it easy to compare similar products.
Where to find it: Typically displayed on the front of the packaging
Which nutrients are displayed:
- Energy (kJ and kcal)
- Total fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt.
Colour coding:
- Green: Low – choose these most of the time.
- Amber: Moderate – fine to include daily.
- Red: High – limit these as much as possible.
Note: The criteria for classifying foods and drinks as low (green), moderate (amber), or high (red) are different. The tables below provide the relevant information for each.
Keep in mind
- Per serving values: Nutrition values are usually shown per recommended serving, but serving sizes vary between brands and may not reflect your portion.
- Focus on saturated fat rather than total fat for heart health.
- Energy isn’t colour coded: Energy needs vary too much between individuals and occasions, so it’s not colour coded.
Some manufacturers use black-and-white text instead of colour coding, you can still compare products by checking the numbers and being mindful of portion sizes.
Use the tables below or download our fact sheet to help you make heart-healthy choices while shopping
Download in black and white Download in colour
Guide for foods
| PER 100g of FOOD | LOW | MODERATE | HIGH |
| (Total) Fat |
3g or less |
between 3g and 17.5g |
more than 17.5g OR more than 21g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 100g) |
|
Saturated fat |
1.5g or less |
between 1.5g and 5g |
more than 5g OR more than 6g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 100g) |
| (Total) Sugars |
5g or less |
between 5g and 22.5g |
more than 22.5g OR more than 27g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 100g) |
| Salt |
0.3g or less |
between 0.3g and 1.5g |
more than 1.5g OR more than 1.8g per serving (if serving is bigger than 100g) |
Guide for drinks
|
PER 100ml of a DRINK |
LOW | MODERATE | HIGH |
| (Total) Fat | 1.5g or less |
between 1.5g and 8.75g |
more than 8.75g OR more than 10.5g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 150ml) |
| Saturated fat | 0.75g or less |
between 0.75g and 2.5g |
more than 2.5g OR more than 3g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 150ml) |
| (Total) Sugars | 2.5g or less |
between 2.5g and 11.25g |
more than 11.25g OR more than 13.5g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 150ml) |
| Salt | 0.3g or less |
between 0.3g and 0.75g |
more than 0.75g OR
more than 0.9g per serving (if the serving is bigger than 150ml) |
How to get the most from nutrition labels
Most of us eat too many calories, saturated fat, sugar, and salt without realising. Nutrition labels are an easy tool to help keep these in check and make healthier choices.
Most foods will have a mixture of colours on the label, to make the healthiest choice:
- Look for greens and ambers: Products with mostly greens (low levels of saturated fat, sugar, and salt) are the healthiest choices. A mix of ambers and greens is fine for daily consumption.
- Watch out for reds: Foods with red indicators are high in a particular nutrient. Limit these, especially if red appears for saturated fat, sugar, or salt.
- Focus on saturated fat for heart health rather than total fats. Foods high in healthy unsaturated fats, such as oily fish, nuts, and certain oils, may show red for total fat but are still good choices.
- Compare similar products: Use the front-of-pack labels or the nutrition table on the back to choose the option with lower amounts of saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
- Be mindful of portion sizes: Nutrition values are often given per serving, which may differ from your usual portion. Always check the amounts per 100g/ml for an accurate comparison.
- If traffic light colour coding isn’t available: Use the nutrition information on the back or side of the pack and compare it to our colour coded tables above or in the downloadable fact sheet.
- For heart health, prioritise foods with lower saturated fat, sugar and salt, and don’t worry too much about total fat or calorie content unless weight management is a focus for you.
Shopping Choleserol Smart on a budget
How to eat heart-healthy without breaking the bank. Our practical tips will help you plan meals, shop smart, and choose affordable foods that support your heart health.
Where to next?
