Reading a Food LabelWhat each line means, and the two numbers that mislead most often.Body & healthIn the order worth reading them.1Serving sizeCompare it to what you will actually eat. A 'serving' is often half apacket.2Per 100 g columnThe only fair way to compare two products. Per-serving figuresare not comparable.3EnergykJ and kcal. 1 kcal ≈ 4.18 kJ.4Of which sugarsIncludes both added and naturally occurring — the label does notseparate them.5Ingredients listOrdered by weight. If sugar is in the first three, it is a sugaryproduct.PER 100 G GUIDESugar: high >22.5 g, low <5 gFat: high >17.5 g, low <3 gSalt: high >1.5 g, low <0.3 gSugar appears under many names — syrup, dextrose, maltose,concentrate. Split across several, each ranks lower.Reading a Food Labellearnposters.com
Reading a Food Label — printable health wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Reading a Food Label, step by step

In the order worth reading them.

  1. Serving sizeCompare it to what you will actually eat. A 'serving' is often half a packet.
  2. Per 100 g columnThe only fair way to compare two products. Per-serving figures are not comparable.
  3. EnergykJ and kcal. 1 kcal ≈ 4.18 kJ.
  4. Of which sugarsIncludes both added and naturally occurring — the label does not separate them.
  5. Ingredients listOrdered by weight. If sugar is in the first three, it is a sugary product.

Per 100 g guide

  • Sugar: high >22.5 g, low <5 g
  • Fat: high >17.5 g, low <3 g
  • Salt: high >1.5 g, low <0.3 g

Sugar appears under many names — syrup, dextrose, maltose, concentrate. Split across several, each ranks lower.

Questions about the Reading a Food Label poster

What’s on the Reading a Food Label poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. In the order worth reading them. Serving size — Compare it to what you will actually eat. A 'serving' is often half a…; Per 100 g column — The only fair way to compare two products. Per-serving figures are…; Energy — kJ and kcal. 1 kcal ≈ 4.18 kJ.; Of which sugars — Includes both added and naturally occurring — the label does not se…; Ingredients list — Ordered by weight. If sugar is in the first three, it is a sugary…. Sugar appears under many names — syrup, dextrose, maltose, concentrate. Split across several, each ranks lower.
Who is the Reading a Food Label poster for?
Reading a Food Label belongs to the Body & health section rather than to a school year, because health is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning nutrition can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Reading a Food Label poster?
Check the serving size first. Everything on the label is scaled to it, and it is often not the packet. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Reading a Food Label belongs on the wall where that health work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Reading a Food Label?
Added Sugar, Alcohol Units and Caffeine sit alongside Reading a Food Label in the Body & health section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Added SugarAlcohol UnitsCaffeine
Is the Reading a Food Label poster free to download and print?
Yes. Reading a Food Label downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Body & health section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Reading a Food Label poster print at?
Reading a Food Label is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Reading a Food Label loses nothing.Printing guide

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