What Do Red, Amber and Green Food Labels Really Mean?
Reading Food Labels can be confusing. Have you ever looked at the traffic-light labels on supermarket products and wondered how they’re calculated? Do red, amber and green ratings actually tell you whether a food is healthy, or are they simply based on a set of numbers?
Like many people, I used to glance at the colours without really understanding what they meant. Then, after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I became much more interested in understanding exactly what was in the food I was eating and how nutritional information is presented.
The traffic-light system, often called RAG (Red, Amber, Green) labelling, is designed to help shoppers quickly identify whether a product is high, medium or low in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt. Although displaying these colours isn’t a legal requirement, many food manufacturers choose to include them because they make nutritional information easier to understand at a glance.
The colours are calculated using the nutritional values per 100g of food – information that must legally appear on food packaging. For example, a product containing 3g of fat or less per 100g receives a green rating for fat. Products containing more fat move into the amber or red categories depending on the amount present.
While the traffic-light system can be a useful guide, it’s important to remember that it only tells part of the story. Portion sizes, overall diet, lifestyle and individual health needs all play a role in determining whether a food is right for you.
At Crafty Cook, we believe customers deserve clear, honest information about the food they buy. That’s why we’re reviewing our product nutritional information and adding traffic-light ratings to help you make informed choices.
Food and nutrition can sometimes feel overwhelming, with conflicting advice everywhere you look. We hope that by explaining how traffic-light labels work, we’re helping to make at least one small part of it easier to understand.
As always, if you have concerns about your diet or health, please seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
All the best..
Karen
