Download Nutrition Labelling and Prevention of Heart Diseases

Nutrition Labelling and
Prevention of Heart Diseases
Heart Diseases

Have been one of the top killers in HK

Maintain healthy body weight, normal
blood pressure and blood cholesterol
level are important in managing heart
diseases.

Adopt “3 Low, 1 High” healthy eating
principle; that is low fat, low sodium (or
salt), low sugars and high fibre.
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Fats and Heart Diseases

Two major types of cholesterol in our body –
1. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol)
2. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol (“good” cholesterol)

High “bad” cholesterol and/or low “good”
cholesterol in blood increase the risk of
developing heart diseases
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Fats and Heart Diseases

Both saturated fat and trans fat raise the “bad”
cholesterol level in blood.

Trans fat also lowers the level of “good”
cholesterol in blood.

Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat
do not raise the “bad” cholesterol level. But,
eating too much of these fats may also lead to
excessive energy intake which, in turn,
increase the risk of overweight and obesity.
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How Much Fat Do We Need?
Based on a 2000-kcal diet Total fat
≤ 60g
Saturated fat
≤ 20g
Trans fat
≤ 2.2g
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Preventing Heart Diseases

Follow “3 Low, 1 High” dietary principle.
Choose food with lower combined amount
of saturated fat and trans fat

Increase dietary fibre intake (Min. 25g/day)

Limit dietary cholesterol intake
(300mg/day for heart diseases prevention;
200mg/day for individuals with heart
disease)
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Preventing Heart Diseases
and Nutrition Labelling

Using nutrition
label can help us to
find out the
saturated fat and
trans fat contents
of food products.
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Read and Use Nutrition Labels
Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Tabular format
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Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Linear format
(for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)
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Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels

1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients
specified for labelling) –
i.e. energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat,
trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and
sodium.

Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s)
(when the nutrition claim is on any type
of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be
declared as well).

For other nutrients, declaration is
voluntary
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Making Use of Nutrition Label
Consumers can:

Compare the nutritional content among
different foods for a healthier choice, e.g.
choose food that is lower in fat, sodium
(or salt) and sugars

Understand the nutritional content of
food and estimate their contribution to
the overall diet

To meet individual’s dietary needs
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Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food
contains a lot or a little of energy or a
nutrient in the food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as
per 100 g (or
per 100 mL) of
food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per serving (the serving size
(in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be
specified on the package)
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per package (if the package
contains only a single serving )
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Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
A) Use nutrition label to compare
between products
B) Use nutrition label to calculate the
amount of energy and nutrients
you get from food
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
the SAME reference amount
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit
If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE
between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit
If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

The more you eat, the more you get

If you eat 1 serving of biscuit
 Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat

If you eat 2 servings of biscuit
 Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

%NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food


For nutrients that needed to limit their intake

E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars

Look for foods that have lower %NRV
Get enough of nutrients that are good for health

E.g. dietary fibre

Look for foods that have higher %NRV
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Use Nutrition Label to
Choose Healthy Food
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Principles of Healthy Eating

Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the
largest portion of food in every meal.

Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.

Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with
high salt, fat and sugar content as well as
those which are preserved.

A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including
clear soup, fruit juice and tea).

Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts.
(Source of information:
Department of Health)
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Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool
for Practising Healthy Eating

Nutrition label and nutrition claim can
help consumers choose healthier food in
accordance with healthy eating principles
and the Food Pyramid, e.g.

Choose biscuits lower in fat and sodium
(or salt)

Choose dairy products lower in fat

Choose beverages lower in sugars
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How to Choose Prepackaged Food
to Prevent Heart Diseases?
Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
1. Take note of relevant nutrition
claim as a quick screening tool;
and
2. Take three simple steps to read
nutrition label
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Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods


Choose foods with lower saturated fat, trans
fat and sodium levels. For those who
requires weight maintenance, choose foods
with lower energy, total fat and sugars
contents
Nutrition claim only gives a rough idea about
the content of a particular nutrient, one
should not make a food choice solely on the
basis of a nutrition claim. In order to eat
healthily, we should take note of other
nutrients as well. For example, when buying
a product with a “low cholesterol” claim, one
should take note of the content of sodium
and other nutrients.
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Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Nutrient content claims on fat, saturated fat, trans fat and
cholesterol are classified into “Free” and “Low” claims
Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims Claim：
Free; No; Zero; Without; Does
not contain
Claim：
Low; Little; Low source; Few;
Contains a small amount of
Meaning of Claim :
Insignificant amount of a
particular nutrient found in the
food
Meaning of Claim :
A small amount of nutrient
found in the food
Example: Saturated fat free
(Sum of saturated fat and trans
fat is not more than 0.1g per
100g/mL of food)
Example: Low fat
(Contain not more than 3g of
fat per 100g of solid food; or
Contain not more than 1.5g of
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fat per 100mL of liquid food)
Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read and compare the nutritional content
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV) (If available)
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Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 1)
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Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 2)
Corn Flakes C
Corn Flakes D
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Preventing Heart Diseases –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 3)
Soup E
Soup F
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ENDS