Start with the serving size, then read the per 100 g column. A pack that says 120 kcal per serve can hold 480 kcal if it contains four servings, and most people eat the whole pack.
What is the first line to check?
The serving size and the number of servings in the pack. Multiply the per-serve numbers by the servings you will eat. A small serving size makes every other number look low.
Why read per 100 g first?
The per 100 g column is the same unit for every product, so it lets you compare two biscuits or two flours fairly. Per-serve columns depend on how large each company decided a serve should be.
What do the main lines tell you?
- Energy: calories, in kcal.
- Protein: higher is useful in a meal replacement or a snack, and less relevant in a packet of chips.
- Sugars: the amount sitting inside the carbohydrate line.
- Fat: total fat, and saturated fat inside it.
- Sodium: in milligrams. The WHO fact sheet on salt reduction advises under 2 g of sodium, which is 5 g of salt, a day.
Why does cooked food rarely come with a table?
Labelling rules from FSSAI apply to packaged food. A freshly cooked meal from a restaurant or a tiffin service generally has no table, and each dish changes a little with the cook, the oil and the portion. That is why you should ask for numbers and ask how they were worked out.
What does a good answer sound like?
A good answer names the recipe weights and a published table, such as the Indian Food Composition Tables from the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, and it says whether a figure is for raw or cooked food. A vague answer is a sign that the number was copied from somewhere else.
Where do our own numbers come from?
The dishes on our plan pages show calories and protein, and you can ask our team on WhatsApp how any figure was worked out. Our Know your numbers tool shows what your own daily target might be.
See your own numbers.
Take two minutes with the calculator, or ten minutes with a dietitian. Either way, there is no pressure.