Nutrition - Food Labelling basics and Marketing terminology

When it comes to food labels, the ingredients that appear on the back of one are always listed in descending weight order. There are also certain things that ALL food labels must provide due to law, these are the product name, the weight or total volume, a best before date, instructions for storage, an ingredients list as well as stating potential allergens, details of the manufacturer and a place of origin.

In the BBC News in 2005, it was reported that out of 70 products that were tested for 570 nutrients, only 7% of those actually matched the food label values whilst nearly a fifth of them had food labels values more than 20% over (the margin of error).

The control and the sale of food in the UK is down to the FSA (Food Standards Agency). Food currently made including the labelling and manufacture is governed by the 1990 Food Safety Act. The FSA is also responsible for the food model, "The Eatwell Plate".

The FSA have also provided a list of terms regarding food regulations.

These include the terms fresh, pure, natural, authentic, home made, traditional, farmhouse and original.

Fresh is to differentiate the food sold a short time after harvest.
Pure is single ingredient foods, or to show the amount of ingredients of a food.
Natural is comprised of natural ingredients and not the work of a man.
Authentic remains unchanged and originates from the area implied by its name.
Home made is made from home or of domestic manufacture.
Traditional is a method of preparation that's existed for a long time period.
Farmhouse refers to produce on a farm, other than bread.
Original is a method of preparation that's stayed unchanged over time.

Next up is 'Healthy marketing terminology'...

Nutrition - Reliable sources for nutritional information

The Nutritional Therapy Council regulate the industry whilst the BANT (British Association of Applied Nutrition and Nutrition Therapy) evaluate therapists (nutritional) in the UK.

If you are looking to obtain nutritional information, reliable sources are found within these places:

COMA - Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition
BNF - British Nutrition Foundation
ION - Institute of Optimal Nutrition
FSA - Food Standards Agency
Scientific nutrition journals

What this course enables me to do is advise people about nutrition but by no means am I a Registered Dietician or a Nutritional Therapist, I am a Personal Trainer after all! I can't advise on illnesses though I can advise generally on food and diet. Illnesses would include severe obesity, cancer, CV (cardiovascular) disease, diabetes mellitus and elevated cholesterol.

Back to the advising part... certain things have to be taken into account when helping someone with their nutrition. This involves religious practices and food habits.