How Do Food Labels Help You Understand Nutritional Content?

When you pick up a product from a supermarket shelf, what’s the first thing you check? For many people, it’s the food label. Whether you’re looking for calorie counts, sugar content, allergens, or just checking the ingredients, food labels give you a quick way to understand what you’re buying and eating.

But what exactly do these labels tell you? And how can they help people make better decisions about their diet?

In this blog, we’ll explore how food labels help you understand nutritional content, why they matter, and what food producers and retailers should know when printing clear and compliant labels. If your business sells food or manufactures packaging, this is essential reading.

Why Food Labels Matter

Food labels are more than just printed stickers or fancy packaging. They’re a legal requirement in the UK and play a key role in public health. A good food label provides vital information that helps people:

• Compare products easily
• Choose healthier options
• Avoid allergens
• Track their daily intake of fat, sugar, salt and calories
• Understand portion sizes

Without food labels, consumers would be left guessing – and that can lead to confusion, over-consumption or health risks. For those managing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or food allergies, accurate food labelling is essential.

Key Information on a Food Label

In the UK, nutritional food labels must include several important elements. Whether you’re printing them for pre-packed goods, deli items, or takeaway containers, the following details are required by law:

1. Energy (Calories and Kilojoules)

This tells you how much energy a portion of the food provides. It’s usually listed in both kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal).

Knowing the calorie content of food helps people manage their overall energy intake. For example, someone aiming to lose weight may want to choose items that are lower in calories per 100g or per portion.

2. Fat, Saturates, Sugars and Salt

These are the “Big Four” nutrients consumers are encouraged to monitor closely. High levels of any of these can contribute to long-term health problems such as obesity, heart disease, or high blood pressure.

That’s why labels often use traffic light colours (red, amber, green) to make this information easy to understand at a glance.

3. Carbohydrates and Protein

Carbohydrates include both sugars and starches. Protein is an essential nutrient that supports growth and repair in the body. Seeing how much of each is in a portion helps people adjust their diet to suit their activity level or fitness goals.

4. Fibre

Fibre aids digestion and is vital for gut health. While not always mandatory, it’s increasingly common to see fibre content listed on food labels – especially on health-focused products.

5. Portion Size

One of the most useful – but sometimes misunderstood – parts of a food label is the portion size. Nutritional information is often based on a single portion rather than the whole pack. If someone eats more than one portion, the calories and nutrients they consume will be higher.

Clear portion sizes help shoppers understand how a food fits into their daily diet and avoid accidentally over-consuming.

6. Ingredients List and Allergens

All food labels must include a full ingredients list, with allergens highlighted in bold, underlined or a different font. This helps people with food sensitivities identify potential risks quickly.

For example, common allergens such as milk, eggs, nuts, wheat and soya must be clearly marked.

Understanding Daily Reference Intakes

Many food labels include a panel that shows the percentage of the recommended daily intake for key nutrients. This helps consumers understand how a portion of food fits into their overall diet.

For instance, if a snack contains 10% of your daily salt allowance, it’s easier to plan what else to eat during the day. These values are based on average adult requirements, so needs may differ for children or people with specific health conditions.

Back of Pack vs Front of Pack Labelling

You’ll often find food labels split into two sections:

• Front-of-pack (FoP) labelling includes simple traffic light colours, calorie count, and key nutrients for quick decisions.
• Back-of-pack (BoP) labelling provides more detailed information, including full nutritional tables and ingredients.

Both work together to give shoppers a full picture. For businesses, printing clear, legible, and consistent labels across all products supports brand trust and regulatory compliance.

The Role of Food Label Printers

Whether you’re a food producer, deli counter operator, or independent retailer, having the right label printer for food packaging is vital. You need something reliable, accurate, and easy to customise with up-to-date information.

At our store, we supply high-quality food label printers and price guns ideal for:

• Pre-packed food labelling
• Nutritional and allergen stickers
• Use-by and best-before dates
• Weigh-price labels for deli counters
• Batch coding for traceability

When your business depends on accurate and compliant labelling, investing in the right tools makes all the difference.

Tips for Better Food Labelling

Here are a few simple tips to ensure your food labels are both compliant and user-friendly:

• Use plain, readable fonts and avoid small text
• Include all required information: energy, nutrients, ingredients, allergens, and storage guidance
• Highlight allergens clearly
• Check your labels against government guidelines (such as the Food Standards Agency)
• Print durable labels that won’t smudge or fade over time
• Use colour-coded front-of-pack panels if possible to aid quick choices

Why Clear Labels Build Consumer Trust

In a market filled with choice, trust is everything. Customers are more likely to buy from brands that are honest, transparent and make it easy to understand what’s in their products.

Well-designed food labels show that you care about your customers’ health and well-being. That attention to detail doesn’t go unnoticed – it’s part of what keeps people coming back.

If you’re printing your own labels, using reliable tools and price gun materials with price gun land ensures your product always looks professional, accurate and compliant.

Final Thoughts

Food labels play a crucial role in helping people understand the nutritional content of what they eat. From tracking calories to identifying allergens, these small stickers carry a big responsibility.

For businesses in the food sector, the quality of your labels reflects the quality of your brand. With the right label printers, price gun, and support, you can stay compliant and make life easier for your customers.