About 3 years ago, I wrote about new food labels that would be coming soon.
A year later, the Ministry of Health unveiled the plan to label foods that are high in saturated fat, salt, or sugar, and now, in 2020, we are starting to see the labels on products at the supermarket!
The red labels are designed to make it easier to see at a glance which foods are considered high in sugar, salt, or saturated fats.
Here's a quick guide to what having a label indicates to the consumer:
Substance
|
in 100g (solid food)
|
in 100ml (liquids)
|
Salt
|
more than 400mg
|
more than 100mg
|
Sugar
|
more than 10g
|
more than 5g
|
Saturated Fat
|
more than 4g
|
more than 3g
|
The new labels are the front of food packaging and look like this:
Hope this helps people - reading labels in Hebrew can be a challenge for some, so this should make the job a bit easier!
When you go to the store and buy a loaf of bread, you might be looking for a healthy option. Many people look for the code words "Whole Wheat" or "Whole Grain" on the package.
So.. what exactly is in that loaf of whole wheat bread?
Did you know that your loaf can be labeled whole grain as long as 80% of the flour in it is whole grain? (meaning, up to 20% of the flour used in baking the bread can be something other than whole wheat!)
Okay, so now we know that whole wheat bread is 80% whole wheat bread.
IF your bread has the "Efshari-Bari" label on it, the following also apply:
- maximum sodium content is 400mg per 100g of bread
- maximum caloric value is 250 calories per 100g of bread.
There are no other actual regulations about what goes into it, so you'll want to check the ingredients - some breads contain few ingredients (simpler food) and others contain a whole list of about 20 items (often additives, preservatives, stabilizers, and sugars). Some breads are made with liquid oils, and others are made with partially hydrogenated oils.
In other words - even when the bread says it's whole wheat, you should probably read the fine print to know what you are getting.
I know it's easier to buy bread than to make it, but if you are looking for a great sandwich bread recipe, be sure to check out my whole grain sandwich bread!
The Ministry of Health has announced plans to start labeling foods that have high sugar, salt, and/or fat content. The new labels will be RED warning labels on foods.
It seems that we are in for a big shock when these new labels hit the market - although it is still not certain that they will - in the first stage of implementation (higher thresholds) a whopping 39% of packaged food products in supermarkets will be sporting a warning label (or more than one)!
If the stricter standards being discussed are adopted, an incredible 51% of the packaged products in the supermarket will carry the warnings.
I don't know if this new plan will actually pan out. Obviously, major food manufacturers are lobbying against it. But just KNOWING about it should be a wake up call.
Clearly, packaged food that many, many people buy regularly is being scrutinized for nutritional content - and much of it is failing. We all should keep that in mind when shopping. Personally, I advocate buying fresh, whole foods instead of packaged foods, but I know that is not always possible. Many people need to find some shortcuts in order to be able to fit it all in to the day!
So, whether or not the new labeling rules are implemented, I think it's a good thing to become more aware of the nutritional content of the food we're buying. Next time you pick up a package of food, look carefully at the nutritional content and the ingredients before you decide to buy it!
(And cutting back on packaged foods has another added benefit - you'll save money!)
Which packaged foods do you buy? Do you think seeing a red warning label on it will influence your decision to buy them in the future? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
