Amazing facts: Why Are Reading Food Labels Important in 2023?

You must have been told by your elders that reading food labels is a good habit. Wonder what is the importance of food labeling? Wonder why they put all the information on the packaging? Let’s find out the answer in this blog.

Can you imagine a world without packaged & processed food? Gone are the days when food was the currency! Now you get everything.. Literally, everything you want. Ready to eat Upma, 2 minutes Noodles, Ketchup, Chutneys, Curry Pastes, is processed & brought to you.

Why is there a need to process food? The ultimate reason behind processing the food is to maximize food’s shelf life and to remove micro-organisms that may cause the food to go bad in a few days. But what is used to preserve these food items? There are some natural preservatives as well as some artificial preservatives.

Let’s take an example here-
When you purchase a packet of Noodles that has veggies in it, you simply boil some water, add the noodles, & the Masala that has dried veggies. Tada! Your tasty & healthy (claimed) Instant Noodles are ready! But if you purchase all the veggies that are present in the Instant Noodles packet and keep those aside for a couple of days, those will go bad. That’s why preservatives are added.

As per the new regulations by FSSAI – How food labels will change in India from today, the importance of food labeling has been increased. All the online food delivery apps like Swigy, Zomato, etc. will be asking restaurants to mention the nutritional value of the dishes. All FMCG companies will be required to declare a complete list of ingredients along with declaring how much those ingredients contribute to the daily Recommended Dietary Allowance of an average person.

Reading food labels is going to be an eye-opener on another level. As per the latest food laws & regulations by the Government of India, every packaged food item must have ratings from ½ to 5 stars at the Front Of Package Labeling (FOPL). These ratings on the FOPL will be dependent on the content of salt, sugar, & fat per package. Large-scale organizations like the Public Health Foundation of India, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, and the Center for Science and Environment are proposing to implement this latest rating law at the earliest. It is believed that this decision will decrease the rate of the increasing epidemic of lifestyle diseases.

Reading Food Labels- Why is it so important?

In this blog, let us find out what is the importance of reading food labels as well as what all to check in the labels. Reading food labels gives us clarity about the food we are going to eat. After all, health is wealth. And we must understand what we consume is good for us or bad for our body.

1. Check ingredients-

Whatever food item you are purchasing, checking ingredients is important. You get to know what items are added, does it have sugar, does it have honey/jaggery, etc. If you are allergic to a certain ingredient, and it is present in the product, you can simply put it back & look for other products!

 2. Calories, fats, & nutrients-

If you are burning fats in the gym or through Yoga every day, you must be checking the calories burnt there. When you run for 10 minutes without a break, 80-100 calories are burnt. It all can go in vain if you eat One Chocolate Cookie! Also, reading food labels helps you understand whether Trans Fat is used or not. You can also understand what Nutrients are in the product & you can skip the products with Nutrients you are not looking to add to your diet.

 3. Say no to harmful preservatives-

There are some preservatives that are used to increase the life of food but might affect your healthy life. Trans fat, sodium nitrite, monosodium glutamate, artificial food coloring, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, BHA & BHT, etc. If you see any of these preservatives on the food label, I recommend you not to go with the product.

I hope you have understood the importance of food labeling. Make sure you are reading food labels every time you purchase any food item. I suggest reading labels while buying any product is a good habit!

You must be thinking about what to eat to satisfy odd-time hunger. How about a healthy snack that will fill your tummy, make your taste buds happy, & won’t make you worry after seeing the Food Label? The answer is Xinoa Bites! An Energy Bar that has all the rich ingredients your body would thank you for. It has multi-seeds, dry fruits, berries, natural ingredients, and much more! What is NOT present in Xinoa? – trans fat, synthetic protein, gluten content, & sugar.

Order your package of Xinoa Bites now & start eating healthy every day!