New Nutrition Information on Labels Slide #1 - Speaker’s Notes Canada has new laws on nutrition information on food labels. These laws came into effect in January 2003. This presentation is about the nutrition information we see on food labels. We can use this information to help make food choices based on what the food label tells us about the food. In other words, we can use this information to make informed food choices.

Being active and eating healthy foods may help reduce your risk of health concerns such as diabetes and heart disease. Slide #2 - Speaker’s Notes Many people now eat less traditional food, and are less active than in the past. Sadly, this change in diet and lifestyle has caused many people, including children, to be less healthy. The good news is that being active and eating in a healthy way may help lower your risk of such health concerns as overweight, diabetes and complications from diabetes, some types of cancers and heart disease. #2

Traditional and store foods are part of a healthy diet Elders can provide information on traditional foods Enjoy traditional foods as often as possible Nutrition information on food labels can help you make informed choices at the store. Slide #3 - Speaker’s Notes Traditional foods can give people all the nutrition they need to stay strong and healthy. Elders in your community can provide information on how to harvest, prepare and use traditional food. Traditional foods provide lots of benefits, including cultural as well as nutritional benefits. Many people now use some or all store foods in place of traditional foods. While the store offers many healthy choices, it also sells food that is not as nutritious as the traditional food it replaces. You can use the nutrition information on food labels to compare and choose foods for healthy eating. And, we all know that healthy people grow from healthy choices. For prepackaged foods, the food label information can tell you about the ingredients and nutrients found in foods. Note: Nutrients are the substances in foods that our bodies need so we can grow and stay healthy. Some examples of nutrients are protein, vitamins, calcium and iron, fat and carbohydrates. #3

Nutrition Labelling on Foods includes: the Nutrition Facts table the list of ingredients in the food sometimes nutrition claims Slide #4 - Speaker’s Notes Nutrition information on food labels is found in three different places: The Nutrition Facts table, which is found on almost all prepackaged foods the list of ingredients nutrition claims, which will only be found on some foods. This presentation is an introduction to the nutrition information on food labels. This nutrition information will help make it easier to choose healthy foods when you are shopping. In other words, you can use this information to make informed food choices. #4

The Nutrition Facts Table: easy to find, easy to read Shows information on: Calories 13 core nutrients % Daily Value Based on a specific amount of food Slide #5 - Speaker’s Notes The Nutrition Facts table has information on Calories and nutrients. The Nutrition Facts table is: found on almost all prepackaged foods usually shown as we see it on this slide, so it looks the same from one food to another, making it easier to find printed in type that makes it easy to read. The Nutrition Facts table includes: the specific amount of food (serving size) - in this slide “per ¾ cup (100 g)”; all nutrient information in the table is based on this specific amount of food Calories (amount of energy) and the 13 core nutrients shown on this label the actual amount of a nutrient, in grams and milligrams; this is the amount of the nutrient by weight the % Daily Value, a number that lets you compare foods and know whether there is a lot or a little of a specific nutrient in the food. Note: Nutrients are the substances in foods that our bodies need so we can grow and stay healthy. Some examples of nutrients are protein, vitamins, calcium and iron, fat and carbohydrates. The next six slides tell you more about Nutrition Facts. #5

Use Nutrition Facts to make informed food choices to help you choose foods that meet your needs to compare similar foods to look for foods with more or less of a specific nutrient Slide #6 - Speaker’s Notes The Nutrition Facts table gives us information that helps us to choose foods that meet our needs. It allows us to make an informed choice about foods. The Nutrition Facts table has information that will help you to choose foods by: comparing foods, especially the same type of foods finding foods that have more of a nutrient that you might want, like fibre, vitamin C, calcium or iron finding foods that have less of a nutrient, such as fat, saturated fat and trans fat or sodium. We don’t always want to eat higher amounts of all the nutrients in foods. Fat, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium may increase the risk of such health problems as overweight, diabetes and complications from diabetes, and heart disease. We might want to look for foods that are lower in fats and sodium. The Nutrition Facts table helps us do this. The Nutrition Facts table has information that helps us to compare foods, to decide which one may be the better choice for people in our family. #6

Use Nutrition Facts to make informed food choices Compare similar foods to find the one that has less fat and saturated fat Milk 1% M.F. Homogenized Milk 3.25% M.F. Slide #7 - Speaker’s Notes Activity on the Nutrition Facts table This activity will help people understand how the Nutrition Facts information can help them find foods that are lower in fat and saturated fats. Here are the Nutrition Facts tables for two different types of milk. They have different amounts of fat and saturated fats. Use Nutrition Facts to see which milk is lower in total fat, saturated fat and trans fat. Many milk products are also labelled with the symbol % M.F. or % B.F. on the front of the package. This is the percentage (%) of milk fat (M.F.) or butter fat (B.F.). The lower the number in front of the % symbol, the lower the amount of fat in the milk. This means that 1% milk has less fat than 2% milk. You can use this information to choose skim, 1 % or 2 % milk or yogurt. This type of information will also tell you the percentage of fat on the labels of cheese. Notes: It is still important to look at the Nutrition Facts table, which tells us the amount of fat in one serving and the % DV. Saturated and trans fats are certain types of fats. In the Nutrition Facts table, the amount of saturated and trans fats are included in the total fat amount as well as being shown separately. Both saturated and trans fats may increase the risk for health problems. #7

Nutrition Facts are based on a specific amount of food. Compare this to the amount you eat Slide #8 - Speaker’s Notes All the nutrient information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food. This specific amount of food, or the serving size shown on the table, is shown in measures such as 1 cup or 1 slice of bread. The specific amount of food is also shown in a metric unit such as grams (g), which is the weight of the specific amount of food. Look at this amount when you compare foods. Serving sizes may be different from one food to another because not all foods of the the same type have the same size or weight. For example, the serving size for cookies is from 30 to 40 g, because cookies come in different sizes. For single serving containers, such as 125 g or 175 g of yogurt, the nutrition information will be based on the contents of the entire package. The amount of food used as the serving size on the label may or may not be the same as on the Food Guide or the amount you eat at home. The specific amount of food listed in the Nutrition Facts table is not a recommended serving size. The serving size listed in Nutrition Facts is there so that you can compare it to the amount you eat or to the amount listed on other products. #8

Light Tuna (120 g drained weight) This can contains 120 g of tuna. The nutrition facts are based on ½ can. If you use the whole can, double all of the Calorie and nutrient amounts. Slide #9 - Speaker’s Notes Activity on the Nutrition Facts table This activity will help people understand how to use the serving size listed in the Nutrition Facts table and to compare it to what is eaten at home. In this example, two sandwiches can be made using one can of tuna. The whole can of tuna weighs 120 g when the liquid is drained. The information found in the Nutrition Facts table is based on ½ can, used as one serving. If the whole can is used, all of the amounts in the Nutrition Facts table need to be doubled. This means two times the amounts shown in the table, because two times the serving size is the amount of tuna in the whole can. #9

% Daily Value can make it easier to compare foods helps you see if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient: 2 mg of iron seems small but it is 15 % of the Daily Value for iron 110 mg of sodium seems large but it is only 5 % of the Daily Value for sodium Slide #10 - Speaker’s Notes The % Daily Value is a quick way to compare the level of nutrient in a food. The % Daily Value is usually found on the right side of the Nutrition Facts table. It is given for most nutrients. The percentage (%) shows the amount of the nutrient compared to a Daily Value (a reference value). When are there not % Daily Values? Calories, sugar and protein don’t have % Daily Values. Calories don’t have % Daily Values because the amount of energy each person needs is different from one person to another, depending on his or her size, whether they are male or female, and how active they are Sugar doesn’t have a % Daily Value because there is no recommended amount of sugar Protein doesn’t have % Daily Values because Canadians generally don’t need to worry about not getting enough protein Note: The % DV for cholesterol may or may not be shown in the Nutrition Facts table. Even if the % Daily Value is not shown, the amount of cholesterol will be shown, in milligrams. #10

Compare fat in three different snack foods Cheese-flavoured Popcorn Tortilla Chips Pretzels Slide #11 - Speaker’s Notes Activity on the % Daily Value This activity will help people understand how to use the % Daily Value to compare similar foods or types of foods. Compare three snack foods using the % Daily Value in the Nutrition Facts information. The snacks are cheese-flavoured popcorn, tortilla chips and pretzels. You might ask your group to think about the following: What is the serving size, shown under the Nutrition Facts title, for each food? The serving size, in grams, is the same for all three foods. What is easier to use, the actual amount of each nutrient (by weight, in g or mg) or the % Daily Value? Use the % Daily Values to see if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient. In the foods shown in this example, the cheese-flavoured popcorn has more fat and saturated + trans fats than the other snacks. The pretzels have the least fat and the least saturated + trans fats. Another activity is to ask people if they are likely to eat the amount of food listed in each Facts table. If they would eat more, then you could also talk about how this would change (increase) the amount of fat and saturated + trans fat they would be eating. Notes: Saturated and trans fats are certain types of fats. Both saturated and trans fats may increase the risk for some health problems. #11

List of ingredients all of the ingredients for a food are listed by weight the ingredient that is in the largest amount is listed first Example of a granola-type snack bar: “flour, sugar, whole oats, water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, honey, milk powder, wheat bran” Slide #12 - Speaker’s Notes The list of ingredients has been on the food label for many years. The ingredients are always listed by weight with the item in the greatest amount listed first. Sugar may show up in many different ways in the ingredient list. The Nutrition Facts table gives the total amount of sugars from all sources (sugars naturally in foods plus sugars added to foods, if any). To find out if sugars have been added, you will need to look at the ingredient list, for ingredients such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, malt syrup, invert sugar, etc. Ingredients ending in the letters ‘ose’ are sugars. An activity that compares the ingredient list for fruit juice with the ingredient list for fruit punch will show that punch has sugar added. On the next slide, you can find an activity using the ingredient list shown on this slide. #12

Does this granola bar contain more flour or wheat bran? “flour, sugar, whole oats, water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, honey, milk powder, wheat bran” Slide #13 - Speaker’s Notes Activity on the ingredient list This activity will help people understand the ingredient list. The ingredient that is in the largest amount is listed first. In this granola bar, there is more flour, by weight, than any of the other ingredients. There is less wheat bran, by weight, than any of the other ingredients. The ingredient list is helpful for comparing foods by seeing where, in the ingredient list, we find such things as sugar or fats. If sugar is close to the beginning of the ingredient list, the food may contain a lot of sugar. #13

Use the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts to compare the salt (sodium) in these two foods Frozen Corn Canned Corn Slide #14 - Speaker’s Notes Activity using the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts table This activity will help people understand how to use the Nutrition Facts and the list of ingredients to compare foods. In these two foods, salt (sodium) is being compared. The store doesn’t always have fresh vegetables, so you buy canned and frozen vegetables sometimes. Both canned and frozen vegetables are also good choices. Your doctor or nurse has told you to lower the amount of salt you eat because you have high blood pressure. Which is the better food choice for you — the canned or the frozen corn? When you read the label, you see that the list of ingredients on the can lists salt and the Nutrition Facts table shows that the canned corn has 10 % DV for sodium in one serving. The frozen corn does not list salt in the list of ingredients and the Nutrition Facts table shows it has 0 % DV (the % Daily Value is zero because 2 mg is such a small amount) for sodium. Some frozen foods may also have added salt, especially when the food has a sauce or is coated in a batter or with spices. Ingredients: whole kernel corn Ingredients: corn, water, salt #14

Nutrition claims They are: found only on some food products often on the front of food packages a quick and easy way to get information about a food (but check the Nutrition Facts for complete information) Slide #15 - Speaker’s Notes A third source of nutrition information on food labels is nutrition claims. Nutrition claims can be: two or three words that talk about the amount of a nutrient in a food, or a message about how diet affects health. The wording of the nutrition claims must meet federal government regulations. There are several possible nutrition claims. Nutrition claims may or may not be on the food label – nutrition claims are optional. The food must meet certain government regulations before a nutrition claim can be put on a package. The next three slides give more information about nutrition claims and wording that can be used in nutrition claims. Note: You can find out more about nutrition claims on the Health Canada website and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website. #15

Which cracker is the better source of fibre? Low in Fat Cholesterol Free A source of Dietary fibre 40% less fat than our original crackers Slide #16 - Speaker’s Notes Activity using nutrition claims and the Nutrition Facts table This activity will help people understand that both the nutrition claims and the Nutrition Facts give information for making decisions. Nutrition claims do not need to be put onto food packages. It is up to the food manufacturers to decide if they want to put the nutrition claim on the food label. For cracker #1, the nutrition claims say “low in fat”, “cholesterol free”, and “a source of dietary fibre”. Nutrition claims point out something of interest to those buying foods. Cracker #2 has more fibre than cracker #1, but the food company has not used a fibre claim on the label. Nutrition claims are a good place to start in choosing a food, but they are only one piece of nutrition information on foods. It is important to look at the more detailed information on the Nutrition Facts table. The Nutrition Facts are present on almost all prepackaged foods, whether they have a claim or not. In this example, the Nutrition Facts tell us that cracker #2 has more fibre. #16

Nutrition claims none or hardly any of this nutrient Free Claim: What the claim means: Free none or hardly any of this nutrient an example is “sodium free” Low a small amount an example is “low fat” Reduced at least 25% less of Calories or a nutrient than a similar product an example is “reduced in Calories” Light can be used on foods that are reduced in fat or reduced in Calories Slide #17 - Speaker’s Notes Here are some examples of nutrition claims that indicate the food has less of Calories or sodium (salt) or certain nutrients, such as fat, which we may want to decrease. Fat and sodium may increase our risk of certain health concerns so we may want to look for foods that have less fat and sodium. #17

Very high or excellent source Nutrition claims Claim: What the claim means: Source contains a useful amount of the nutrient an example is “source of fibre” High or good source contains a high amount of the nutrient an example is “high in vitamin C” Very high or excellent source contains a very high amount of the nutrient an example is “excellent source of calcium” Slide #18 - Speaker’s Notes Here are examples of nutrition claims that tell us a food has more of nutrients which we may want to increase. These nutrition claims might be used for nutrients such as iron, calcium or fibre. Note: For most vitamins and minerals, a “source” indicates that the % Daily Value is at least 5% of the reference amount and for one serving of food, as indicated in the Nutrition Facts table. #18

Some nutrition claims are statements about health “A healthy diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer.” Slide #19 - Speaker’s Notes There are four claims on how diet affects health. This slide shows one of these four claims. This nutrition claim is for an overall healthy diet that contains a lot of vegetables and fruit, and that this type of diet may lower the risk of some types of cancer. These nutrition claims do not need to be put onto food packages- they are optional. The food manufacturers might want to put the nutrition claim on the food label. A food must meet government regulations in order to have this claim. Note: To show this claim, the food: must be fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruit or vegetable; fruit juice; or vegetable juice; and must be limited in alcohol (0.5 % or less alcohol). Fruit punch or juice crystals are not 100% juice and could not use this claim. #19

Nutrition labels support healthy eating Slide #20 - Speaker’s Notes For prepackaged foods, the food label information can tell you about the ingredients and nutrients found in foods. You can use the nutrition information on food labels to choose foods for healthy eating. Choosing foods from the food groups on Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, or from your local Food Guide, is important for your health. #20

A healthy you! Enjoy eating well, being active and feeling good about yourself. Slide #21 - Speaker’s Notes Healthy eating is an important part of making a healthy you. Use healthy eating tools such as Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, Nutrition Facts, the list of ingredients and nutrition claims to help you choose foods at the store. Enjoy being active. Use tools such as the Active Living Guides to help include physical activity in your life. Feel good about yourself: like and respect yourself. #21