Our labels explained
03
September
You may have noticed some changes to the labels on your favourite Trufree products. We wanted to make it quicker and easier for you to see exactly what goes into our delicious wheat free and gluten free snacks so we’ve included some new nutritional information on the front of our packs. But don’t worry, the products inside are just as tasty as before.
To find out more about why we made the change and how to understand the new labels, read on.
Why change?
Many of you are probably already aware of what is needed to achieve a healthy, well-balanced diet (e.g. cutting down on fat, sugar and salt) but sometimes it can be tricky and time-consuming to decipher the nutritional information on the back of product labels.
That’s why there have been changes to the nutritional labelling on many food products that you buy in the supermarket. The new-look labels put essential nutritional information clearly on the front of packs to help make it easier for you to choose a well-balanced diet.
There are two main types of label, both of which provide information on energy and nutritional content at-a-glance. These are the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) scheme and the traffic light labelling system.
At Trufree, we’ve opted for the traffic light labelling system.
Traffic light labelling
This type of labelling uses ‘traffic light’ colours to indicate whether a food or drink contains high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) levels of a particular nutrient. This makes it simple to compare products at-a-glance.
The nutrients included on the colour-coded labels are ones that have been selected by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as important for good health. The calorie content of foods often also appears on the labels but this is simply additional information and won’t have a traffic light colour.
Generally, the more green ‘traffic lights’ a food has, the healthier it is. Green means that the food is low in that nutrient. If you see a red traffic light, you know that the food is high in something that we should be trying to cut down on. These foods are fine to have occasionally or as a treat but keep an eye on how often you have them.
Amber traffic lights mean the food isn’t high or low in the nutrient and, most of the time these foods should be fine.
The table below shows what levels of nutrients need to be present in a food in order for it to be classified as low (green), medium (amber) or red (high):
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs)
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) provide a guide as to the amount of energy and other nutrients that the average, healthy adult should consume each day.
It’s important to remember that these are guidelines rather than targets. The actual amount of energy and nutrients that you need will vary depending on your age, gender, weight and how active you are.
However, the GDAs can be used as a benchmark for assessing the contribution that each food will make to your daily requirements for individual nutrients. The table below shows GDAs for healthy, adult men and women:
Why are only certain nutrients included on the labels?
Most food labels include information on energy (calories) and four important nutrients – fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium (salt). These nutrients were chosen as they may increase your risk of developing some diet-related diseases if consumed in excess. Highlighting the level of these nutrients helps you to know which foods are the healthiest choices.
Why don’t all labels use the same system?
Currently there aren’t any laws regarding nutritional labelling on the front of packs. Manufacturers are free to adopt either the GDAs system or the traffic light scheme. Some choose a combination of both, while others have decided not to change their labels at all.
At Trufree, we’ve chosen to redesign our labels using the traffic light system. We feel that this is the best possible way to give you key nutritional information as quickly and easily as possible.
Below is an example of how the new labels look:
To find out more about why we made the change and how to understand the new labels, read on.
Why change?
Many of you are probably already aware of what is needed to achieve a healthy, well-balanced diet (e.g. cutting down on fat, sugar and salt) but sometimes it can be tricky and time-consuming to decipher the nutritional information on the back of product labels.
That’s why there have been changes to the nutritional labelling on many food products that you buy in the supermarket. The new-look labels put essential nutritional information clearly on the front of packs to help make it easier for you to choose a well-balanced diet.
There are two main types of label, both of which provide information on energy and nutritional content at-a-glance. These are the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) scheme and the traffic light labelling system.
At Trufree, we’ve opted for the traffic light labelling system.
Traffic light labelling
This type of labelling uses ‘traffic light’ colours to indicate whether a food or drink contains high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) levels of a particular nutrient. This makes it simple to compare products at-a-glance.
The nutrients included on the colour-coded labels are ones that have been selected by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as important for good health. The calorie content of foods often also appears on the labels but this is simply additional information and won’t have a traffic light colour.
Generally, the more green ‘traffic lights’ a food has, the healthier it is. Green means that the food is low in that nutrient. If you see a red traffic light, you know that the food is high in something that we should be trying to cut down on. These foods are fine to have occasionally or as a treat but keep an eye on how often you have them.
Amber traffic lights mean the food isn’t high or low in the nutrient and, most of the time these foods should be fine.
The table below shows what levels of nutrients need to be present in a food in order for it to be classified as low (green), medium (amber) or red (high):
| LOW | MEDIUM | HIGH | HIGH | |
| Per 100g | Per 100g | Per 100g | Per Portion | |
| Fat | 3g or less | 3 - 12g | More than 20g | More than 21g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g or less | 1.5 - 5g | More than 5g | More than 6g |
| Sugars | 5g or less | 5 - 15g | More than 15g | More than 18g |
| Salt | 0.3g or less | 0.3 - 1.5g | More than 1.5g | More than 2.4g |
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs)
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) provide a guide as to the amount of energy and other nutrients that the average, healthy adult should consume each day.
It’s important to remember that these are guidelines rather than targets. The actual amount of energy and nutrients that you need will vary depending on your age, gender, weight and how active you are.
However, the GDAs can be used as a benchmark for assessing the contribution that each food will make to your daily requirements for individual nutrients. The table below shows GDAs for healthy, adult men and women:
| Women | Men | |
| Energy (calories) | 2,000 | 2,500 |
| Protein (g) | 45 | 55 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 230 | 300 |
| Sugars (g) | 90 | 120 |
| Fat (g) | 70 | 95 |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 20 | 30 |
| Fibre (g) | 24 | 24 |
| Sodium (Salt) (g) | 2.4 (6) | 2.4 (6) |
Why are only certain nutrients included on the labels?
Most food labels include information on energy (calories) and four important nutrients – fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium (salt). These nutrients were chosen as they may increase your risk of developing some diet-related diseases if consumed in excess. Highlighting the level of these nutrients helps you to know which foods are the healthiest choices.
Why don’t all labels use the same system?
Currently there aren’t any laws regarding nutritional labelling on the front of packs. Manufacturers are free to adopt either the GDAs system or the traffic light scheme. Some choose a combination of both, while others have decided not to change their labels at all.
At Trufree, we’ve chosen to redesign our labels using the traffic light system. We feel that this is the best possible way to give you key nutritional information as quickly and easily as possible.
Below is an example of how the new labels look:
Where can I get more information?
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