Understanding Labelling

Food labels show a wide range of information to help you – the consumer, choose the right foods for you and your family. A lot of the information is required by law, while some is added by manufacturers to explain a little more about the product. Because so much information must be provided on food labels by law they can be a little confusing to understand and use. However the information that is provided is intended to help you to choose the right food for you, and to tell you exactly what you are buying.      

The information found on food labels varies from the brand name, the name of the food, ingredients lists, country of origin, use by dates and storage instructions. The interactive label below explains food labelling in simple terms – just click on the part of the label that interests you to find out more...link to existing interactive label.  

Nestlé believe that by providing transparent and easy to understand nutrition information on all our products, that we can help you to make healthier choices.

Nutritional Information

Simple, front of pack nutrition labelling is on our products so you can see, at a glance, which nutrients are found in a serving of the foods you choose as well as the contribution that portion makes to your Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). Guideline Daily Amounts are explained below, or for more information on Guideline Daily Amounts see http://www.whatsinsideguide.com/.      

Full nutrition labelling is found on the back of the majority of Nestlé packs where we have space, showing in detail the amount of nutrients in the product. The ‘per serve’ information shows what you get in each suggested portion and you can use the per 100g information to compare the nutrients in two different foods.

All Nestlé products feature the Nestlé Nutritional Compass, to help you understand more about the product. In addition to the nutrition information and GDA information, many of our packs include messages about the products in our Good to Know boxes as well as helpful tips or good habits to adopt in our Good to Remember boxes. The Good to Know and Good to Remember boxes give you more detailed information about key nutrition and also hints and tips on including the products in a healthy balanced diet.

Guideline Daily Amounts

A quick glance at the front of Nestlé packs will show you the amounts of the five key nutrients in a serving of that food. You will also see this expressed as a portion of the Guideline Daily Amount, or GDA.      

Guideline daily amounts have been developed for both adults and children and include calories (energy). Fat, saturates, sugars and salt.      

Due to the space restrictions on labels, GDAs are given as an average for adults and average for children aged 5–10 years.
You will see below the full list of GDA’s for all ages;   

Information is given on the amount of the nutrient in the portion, plus the percentage of the Guideline Daily Amount that this equates to. The percentage figures show that amount as a proportion of 100 – so look at the foods that you eat and add up the % GDA figures over one day to add up to around 100 for each nutrient.      

Guideline Daily Amounts have been developed to help you get the balance right in your diet by choosing what products are right for you. GDAs are guidelines for the amounts of the main nutrients in your diet.  They are guidelines, not targets. It’s a good idea to stick pretty close to the GDAs for calories, sugars and fat and you will be doing yourself a favour if you keep your intake of salt and saturates below your GDA.      

Using GDA’s
You can use GDA’s to add up your % of each nutrient over a day.

Another way to use GDA’s is to compare two or more products in the supermarket for their fat, sugar or salt content and to use this information when choosing which one to buy. You might want to keep an eye on what you are eating over a day, balancing foods with higher GDA figures with those that have lower levels. Or alternatively add extra items to a meal such as potatoes, pasta or rice with no added fats or extra vegetables to lower the overall GDA’s for fat, salt and sugar in a meal.   

 More information about GDAs can be found on the FDF website.

Key Messages used by Nestlé on our products

Natural Source of antioxidants
Did you know that coffee is a natural source of antioxidants, containing even more than green tea or fruit juice? Antioxidants help to protect the body against free radical damage to our cells, this is attributed to ageing and pollutants such as tobacco smoke have similar effects.      

Green Wholegrain Banner
All of Nestlé cereals contain wholegrain and to make this easier to spot we have invented a green wholegrain banner. The exact amount of wholegrain is shown in the nutrition panel on the side of each pack.  Experts say we should have 3 servings of wholegrain each day so why not get your day off to a great start with one of our wholegrain cereals.    


Eating a diet rich in wholegrains helps to maintain a healthier heart, aides good digestion and can help with weight control. For more information on wholegrains and health see http://www.wholegrain.co.uk/      

Enjoying chocolate or confectionery as part of a varied balanced diet and healthy lifestyle is one of life’s little pleasures. All of our chocolate and confectionery products provide information on the calorie content and contribution to Guideline Daily Amounts on their labels.

Check your diet

Want to know how healthy your diet is? Tell us what you ate yesterday and the Nestlé Nutrition database will give you facts and figures about your diet. It takes about 10 minutes so go on, have a go!

Check Your Diet