How to Read Food Labels UK: A 10-Second Method

Reading food labels sounds like a lovely idea until you try it in a busy supermarket with a toddler pulling the yoghurts off the shelf and an older child asking for crisps. Nobody has time to compare grams per 100g while that is going on. The good news is that learning how to read food labels UK style takes about ten seconds per product once you know where to look, and you only need to do it once for the things you buy every week.

I coach parents in Archway, and I teach them a quick system rather than a science lesson. Here it is.

How to read food labels UK: the 10-second method

Do these three checks, in this order:

1. Front of pack: count the colours. Mostly green and amber is a good sign. Red means that product is high in something.
2. Per 100g: compare like with like. When choosing between two similar products, ignore the portion size on the front and compare the per 100g column on the back.
3. Ingredients: read the first three. Ingredients are listed by weight, biggest first. Those first three tell you what you are mostly buying.

That is it. Everything below just explains each step.

Step 1: The traffic light label

Most UK supermarkets use a front-of-pack traffic light label showing energy (calories), fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. Each of the last four is coloured red, amber or green.

According to the NHS guide on how to read food labels, these are the thresholds per 100g for food:

Per 100g	Low (green)	High (red)
Total fat	3g or less	More than 17.5g
Saturated fat	1.5g or less	More than 5g
Sugars	5g or less	More than 22.5g
Salt	0.3g or less	More than 1.5g

Anything in between is amber. Drinks use different cut-offs, so a drink can be amber with less sugar than a food.

How to use the colours without overthinking

• Everyday staples (bread, cereal, yoghurt, cooking sauces): try to choose mostly green and amber.
• A red light does not mean “never”. Cheese is often red for fat and salt and is still a useful food. It just means watch the portion and how often.
• Some foods are naturally high in fat, like nuts, oily fish and olive oil, and are still part of a healthy diet.

Step 2: Per 100g versus per portion

The front label often shows values “per portion”, and the portion is decided by the manufacturer. A “portion” of cereal might be 30g, but most adults pour more like 50 to 60g. So:

• Use per 100g to compare two products fairly.
• Use per portion only if your portion actually matches theirs.

What does %RI mean?

RI stands for “reference intake”. It is the rough amount of each nutrient an average adult needs in a day, and the percentage tells you how much of that one portion provides. It is designed for adults, so for children, a product that looks like a small percentage can be a much bigger share of their day.

Step 3: The ingredients list

Ingredients are listed in order of weight, largest first. Quick things to spot:

• Sugar near the top. Look out for sugar, glucose syrup, honey, dextrose, fructose, invert sugar or fruit juice concentrate. If two or three of these appear, the total sugar can be high even if no single one is first.
• Fat near the top. Butter, cream, oil or palm oil in the first few means a high-fat product.
• Length of the list. A very long list with lots of words you would not find in your kitchen often signals a highly processed food. More on that in ultra processed food explained.
• Allergens are shown in bold in UK ingredient lists, which helps if anyone in your family has an allergy.

The “of which sugars” trap

The nutrition panel shows “Carbohydrate, of which sugars”. That number includes natural sugars from milk and fruit, not just added sugar. A plain yoghurt will show some sugar from the milk itself. The ingredients list tells you whether sugar was added. My post on how much sugar a child should have explains why that difference matters.

Reading labels with kids in tow

This is the bit nobody talks about. Some tricks that help:

• Do the reading once, at home. Check the labels on the 10 to 15 things you buy every week while unpacking. Next time, you already know which ones to grab.
• Turn it into a game. Ask your child to find the one with the most green lights. Kids love being the detective, and they start learning without a lecture.
• Use the NHS Food Scanner app. It is free, kids enjoy scanning barcodes, and it suggests swaps.
• Write your “approved” list. Keep it in your phone notes, sorted by aisle. My healthy shopping list for UK families is a good starting point.

Five common label claims, decoded

• “Low fat” means 3g of fat or less per 100g. Check the sugar, as some low-fat products add sugar for taste.
• “No added sugar” means no sugar was added, but the product may still be high in natural sugars, like fruit juice.
• “Reduced” just means less than the standard version, not necessarily low.
• “Natural” has no strict meaning for overall healthiness.
• “High protein” can appear on bars and drinks that are also high in sugar. Read the full panel.

Why a trainer cares about labels

You cannot out-train a cupboard full of red labels. In my experience, the parents who make steady progress in class are not the ones on strict diets. They are the ones who have quietly swapped a few weekly staples to better versions and stuck with it. Combine that with regular movement and you have a routine that lasts.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, an allergy or another condition where salt, sugar or specific ingredients matter, follow your GP or dietitian’s advice. The NHS page linked above is a reliable general guide.

FAQs

What is the most important thing to look at on a food label?

For quick decisions, look at the traffic lights and the first three ingredients. For comparing products, use the per 100g figures.

Is a red traffic light always bad?

No. It means the food is high in that nutrient. Some foods with red lights, like cheese or oily fish, are still useful in a balanced diet. Just keep an eye on portions and how often.

What does “of which saturates” mean?

It is the saturated fat part of the total fat. It is the type of fat the NHS advises most people to eat less of. More than 5g per 100g is high.

Do all UK foods have traffic light labels?

No. Front-of-pack traffic lights are voluntary, so some products do not have them. The back-of-pack nutrition panel is required on most packaged foods, so use the per 100g figures and the table above.

Book your first class

Smarter shopping is one half. The other half is moving your body regularly with people who will keep you going. SYP Bootcamp runs 45-minute small-group classes in Archway N19, with a maximum of 10 people, indoors in a church hall, and every exercise has an easier and harder option. Classes are £15 each. Book your £15 class here, or call or WhatsApp me on 07301 512215. If you would like to know how one-to-one coaching works before you commit, read how SYP Fitness personal training works.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.