D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Label Smart: Nutrition Facts Tables and Ingredient Lists

D2.1 A1.6About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can use the Nutrition Facts table to compare foods.
I can read an ingredient list and explain that ingredients are listed from most to least.
I can find allergy information and dates on a label to help choose safe foods.

Words to know

Nutrition Facts table
The box on packaged food that shows the serving size, calories and nutrients.

ingredient list
The list of everything that is in a food, from the most (by weight) to the least.

allergen
A food or ingredient that causes an allergic reaction in some people, like peanuts, milk or eggs.

best before date
A date that tells you how long an unopened food will keep its best freshness and quality when stored properly.

informed choice
A choice you make after you have the facts.

The label is the truth-teller

Last lesson you learned that the front of a package is made to sell. The back and side of the package are different. By law in Canada, most packaged foods must show a Nutrition Facts table and an ingredient list. These give you the facts, so you can make an informed choice.

Remember from Grade 4

You learned to use % Daily Value (% DV):

5% DV or less is a little.
15% DV or more is a lot.

You also learned to check the serving size first. This year you'll add ingredient lists, allergy information and dates.

Part of the label	What it tells you	How to use it
Serving size	The amount of food the facts are for, like 1 cup or 3 crackers	Compare foods with similar serving sizes. If you eat 2 servings, you get double everything.
Calories	How much energy is in one serving	Compare similar foods.
% Daily Value	If a serving has a little or a lot of a nutrient	Look for more fibre, calcium, iron and potassium. Look for less sodium, sugars and saturated fat.
Ingredient list	Everything in the food, from most to least by weight	If sugar is one of the first ingredients, the food has a lot of it.
Allergen information	Common allergens such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish	Look in the ingredient list or a "Contains" statement. Important for anyone with an allergy.
Best before date	How long an unopened food keeps its best quality	Check the date, and that the package isn't damaged.

The parts of a food label and how to use them.

Reading an ingredient list

Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least. The first ingredient is the one there's most of.

In Canada, sugar ingredients (like sugar, glucose-fructose, honey and fancy molasses) are now grouped together in the list after the word Sugars, so it's easier to see how much sugar is added.

An ingredient list can also show if a food is mostly whole grains (look for the word whole, like whole wheat flour or whole grain oats).

The front-of-package "High in" symbol

Many packaged foods in Canada now show a magnifying glass symbol on the front that says High in sodium, sugars or saturated fat. If you see it, the food has a lot of that nutrient. It's a quick warning, but you still need the Nutrition Facts table for the whole story.

Labels for safe food, not just healthy food

Allergies: some people can get very sick from a tiny amount of an allergen. Always read the ingredient list and the Contains statement. Some labels also say "May contain" an allergen, which means a small amount could have got in during making. People with allergies usually avoid these foods.
Dates: a best before date is about freshness and quality of an unopened food. Once a package is opened, it may not last as long. If food smells or looks wrong, don't eat it, and ask an adult.
Damaged packages: don't eat food from cans that are bulging or leaking, or packages with a broken seal. Show an adult.

Worked example

Let's compare two crackers

Both crackers have a serving size of 20 g.

Cracker A: Sodium 12% DV, Fibre 4% DV. First ingredient: enriched wheat flour.

Cracker B: Sodium 6% DV, Fibre 15% DV. First ingredient: whole grain wheat flour.

Same serving size? Yes, 20 g each, so we can compare fairly.
Sodium (want less): A has 12%, B has 6%. B has less.
Fibre (want more): A has 4% (a little), B has 15% (a lot). B has more.
Ingredient list: B's first ingredient is whole grain flour. A's isn't.

Cracker B is the healthier choice: less sodium, more fibre, and whole grain is its main ingredient.

Crackers A and B on the % DV scale. B has less sodium (6% vs 12%) and a lot more fibre (15% vs 4%), so B is the healthier choice.

Worked example

Let's read an ingredient list

Fruit snack ingredients: Sugars (sugar, glucose syrup, fruit juice concentrate), apple purée, cornstarch, citric acid, natural flavour, colour.

The first item is Sugars, so there is more sugar than anything else.
Inside the brackets, we see three kinds of sugar grouped together.
Apple purée comes after sugars, so there's less fruit than sugar.
The front of the box might say "made with fruit", but the list shows sugar comes first.

This snack is mostly sugar. A piece of real fruit would be a better choice.

In the fruit snack, Sugars come first, so there is more sugar than anything else, even more than apple purée.

Just for fun

Why did the cracker go to the doctor?

Because it was feeling crumby! (Luckily, Cracker B had lots of fibre.)

Hands-on activity

Label lab

You need: a grown-up, 4 or more food packages from your kitchen (cereal, crackers, yogurt, granola bars, soup), paper and a pencil.

Choose two foods of the same kind (for example, two cereals). Check that the serving sizes are similar.
Make a chart with columns: Food | Sodium % DV | Sugars % DV | Fibre % DV | First 3 ingredients.
Fill it in for each food. Circle anything that is 15% or more.
Look for allergen information and a best before date on each package.
Look for a High in magnifying glass on the front.
Decide which food is the healthier choice and explain why to your grown-up.

What to look for: your child compares the same nutrient on both foods, uses 5%/15% correctly, and knows the first ingredient is the one there's most of.

Your turn

What is the first thing to check on a Nutrition Facts table?

In what order are ingredients listed?

A yogurt has Calcium 20% DV. Is that a little or a lot?

A soup has Sodium 30% DV. Is that a little or a lot? Do we want more or less sodium?

Name three common food allergens.

What does a best before date tell you?

What does a High in magnifying glass on the front of a package mean?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: the first ingredient is the one there's the least of.

Do we want more or less fibre?

Sugars 3% DV: a little or a lot?

Where do you find the word Contains on a package?

A can is bulging. Should you eat the food inside?

More practice: on your own

Cereal A: serving 30 g, sugars 18% DV. Cereal B: serving 30 g, sugars 4% DV. Which is lower in sugar, and how do you know they can be compared?

A granola bar's ingredients begin: Sugars (honey, brown sugar), rolled oats, peanuts... What does this tell you?

Your friend has a sesame allergy. A bag of crackers says "May contain sesame." What should they do?

A bag of chips: serving size 10 chips. Raj eats 30 chips. How many servings did he eat? What happens to the sodium?

Why is it not enough to read only the front of a package?

Challenge

Milk drink A: Sugars 25% DV, Calcium 25% DV. Milk drink B (plain milk): Sugars 12% DV, Calcium 25% DV. Same serving size. Both give lots of calcium. Which would you choose, and why?

Two breads both say "Multigrain" on the front. Bread A's first ingredient is whole grain whole wheat flour. Bread B's first ingredient is enriched wheat flour. Which is more likely to be mostly whole grain? Explain.

Plan a snack for a class party where one student has a peanut allergy and another has a milk allergy. What label steps would you take?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Ingredients are listed...

Sodium 22% DV is...

Before comparing two foods, you should check that...

Which nutrient do we want more of?

A label says "May contain peanuts." This is important for...

A best before date is mostly about...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 5 expectation to explain how to use nutrition facts tables and ingredient lists on food labels to make informed choices about healthy and safe foods (D2.1). It builds on Grade 4's % Daily Value (5% a little, 15% a lot) and adds ingredient order, grouped sugars, allergens, dates and the front-of-package "High in" symbol.

How to help at home:

Hand your child two similar products at the store and ask, "Which would you pick, and why?"
Ask them to read the first three ingredients aloud.
If anyone in your family or class has an allergy, show your child how you check labels.

Common difficulties: comparing foods with very different serving sizes; reading % DV as "percent of the food"; thinking "multigrain" means whole grain. Keep the tone practical, not about "good" and "bad" foods. For allergies, children should learn that only a trusted adult decides whether a food is safe for someone with an allergy.

This lesson builds critical and creative thinking (A1.6).