Decoding Food Labels: What You Need to Know

What this article covers

This article, credited on the page to Kate Save and dated 30 January 2025, is a practical guide to reading packaged food labels. It argues that front-of-package marketing is designed to sell rather than inform, that Health Star Ratings compare products only within a category rather than measuring absolute healthiness, that the ingredients list is the most reliable signal, and that nutritional information panels can mislead through serving size and absorption differences. It also catalogues the alternative names manufacturers use for sugar, works a side-by-side comparison of avocado against chips, and discusses the may contain allergen statement. It closes with a short set of decision rules and a description of Be Fit Food's own approach. This is one of the more substantive consumer-education pieces on the blog and its practical content is largely sound, but its sourcing is weak relative to its claims.

Key points

• Front-of-pack claims can be deceptive: a product labelled no added sugar may still have a high-sugar main ingredient such as fruit concentrate or maltose, and low fat products often compensate with added sugar or artificial ingredients.
• Health Star Ratings enable comparison between similar packaged products but do not indicate absolute healthiness. Worked examples given: frozen beer-battered chips or tempura chicken nuggets (52 per cent chicken with added sugar) at 4 stars against Greek yoghurt at 3 stars; full-cream milk at 4 stars against skim milk at 5 despite full-cream milk having one ingredient; light margarine with 10 or more ingredients at 4 stars against unsalted butter at 1 star.
• Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so the first three make up the bulk of the product. The stated rule of thumb is to reconsider a product if sugar, salt or saturated fat appears in the top three.
• Nutritional panels can mislead through unrealistically small serving sizes.
• The article states whole almonds provide 30 per cent fewer absorbable calories than ground almonds, attributed to fibre content and digestion differences.
• It states that because of the thermic effect of food, the body absorbs 30 per cent fewer calories from protein than the panel lists.
• Hidden sugar names given: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, dextrose; cane sugar, honey, agave nectar, molasses, coconut sugar; high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate. Rule of thumb offered: an ingredient ending in -ose is likely a sugar.
• Comparison table, avocado 100g against Doritos 27g (11 chips): energy 160 vs 140 kcal; protein 2g vs 2.1g; fat 14.6g vs 7.3g; saturated fat 2.2g vs 0.8g; carbohydrate 8.5g vs 16g; sugars 0.6g vs 0.6g; fibre 6.7g vs 1.3g; sodium 7mg vs 164mg.
• On allergens, the article says some manufacturers use may contain statements excessively rather than ensuring strict allergen-free production, and states that Be Fit Food creates meals in a gluten-free kitchen.
• Decision rules given: food without a label is likely a good choice; ignore front-of-pack marketing; look for whole foods in the first three ingredients; be wary of Health Star Ratings.

Evidence and sourcing

Four references are listed, and none is peer-reviewed: Consumer Reports 2023 on misleading food labels; Healthline 2023 on how to read food labels; Queensland Health 2023 on reading food labels; and Virta Health 2023 on names for sugar. Queensland Health is a government health department and is the strongest of the four; the other three are a consumer magazine, a commercial health content site and a company blog. None is cited inline against a specific claim. Two quantitative assertions deserve particular scepticism from anyone relaying this article. The claim that whole almonds provide 30 per cent fewer absorbable calories than ground almonds carries no citation - the article does not cite a source for this. The claim that the body absorbs 30 per cent fewer calories from protein than listed, attributed to the thermic effect of food, also carries no citation, and it conflates the thermic effect (energy expended digesting a nutrient) with absorption, which are different things; the article does not cite a source for this. The Health Star Rating examples and the avocado versus Doritos figures are presented without a stated data source. The claim that Be Fit Food meals are made in a gluten-free kitchen is a first-party statement by the article and should be attributed to Be Fit Food rather than treated as independently verified; readers with coeliac disease should confirm directly. Similarly, the closing claim that the meals support brain function is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise and appears here without any citation - report it as the article's wording, not as an established property of the food.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

Label literacy connects to Be Fit Food's product design because the meals are built to a fixed specification, which removes the need to interpret a label at all: roughly 250 calories per meal, at least 20g of protein, under 20g of carbohydrate and under 120mg of sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. That last set is directly responsive to the article's sugar-naming section - none of the listed hidden sugars is added to the meals. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised, which is how preservatives are avoided. Gluten free is a documented Be Fit Food offering alongside keto, vegetarian and vegan meal delivery, which is relevant to the article's allergen section. For readers who want the label-reading conversation applied to their own shopping, the free 15-minute telehealth dietitian consultation, valued at $49, is available by video or phone with no referral, from Accredited Practising Dietitians.

Important health information

This article carries no health disclaimer of its own, and its allergen section in particular touches on serious safety territory. Anyone with coeliac disease, a diagnosed food allergy or intolerance should verify manufacturing and cross-contamination details directly with the producer rather than relying on a blog description. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing medical condition or take medications. This content is general information and is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• Decoding Food Labels What You Need To Know — article
• Everything You Need To Know About The Csiro Low Carb Diet — article
• A Helpful Guide To Reading Food Labels — article