Food Packaging Claims – How Much Do You Understand?
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Have you ever looked at the health claims on food packaging and wondered exactly what they were telling us? Or do you understand every word?
I have to admit until Ash developed diabetes I didn’t understand much at all. While my knowledge now is only a little better.
However, no matter your understanding of health claims on food packaging; Health Claims Unpacked need your help.
What is Health Claims Unpacked?
Health Claims Unpacked is a website funded by EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) Food and lead by Professor Rodney Jones, Professor of Sociolinguistics, University of Reading. Alongside being supported by partners across Europe including the BNF (British Nutrition Foundation).
It is obvious to many of us that health claims on packages are useful. They can help us all make choices which lead towards a healthier lifestyle. As well as giving vital information to people who have health issues.
However, sometimes the wording of this information can be complex and hard to understand.
As such Health Claims Unpacked are looking to try and understand just how much people know and understand about health claims on packaging. Then with this information in hand, they will provide guidance to regulators and the food industry, in the hopes of making the information in future clearer for all.
One important piece of knowledge, I can share with you today however is that all claims on produce are lead by science.
So How Can You Help?
Until the end of the year, Health Claims Unpacked are asking everyone to head over to their website and complete the activities on their interactive website
It will take just 15 minutes to take part in this important research. Which will help shape the future of health claims on packaging.
What’s more, you might just find yourself learning a thing or two. However, don’t worry about it feeling like a chore. It is conducted in such a way to keep you engaged and focused on the task. While you are never left feeling silly for what you do or don’t know.
The research is conducted in a number of parts. The first tests your nutrition knowledge, do you know what different nutrients help keep certain parts of your body healthy? My answer was no. However, now I do know just a bit more.
Next up is understanding package labelling. Do you know when a product is making a health claim? Then comes rewording, do you feel that two labels mean the same thing or not?
Next, you get to go shopping, what wording makes you buy a product and how exactly would you choose to label a product if you were to be in charge.
You don’t need to complete the research in one go, it is something you can dip in and out of.
So if you have some time to spare head over to Unpacking Health Claims before the end of the year and help shape the future of food packaging.
How informed do you feel when it comes to health claims on food?
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Interesting post – it can be really difficult to make sense of it!
It really can be – I have to admit I still do struggle with some information on them.
That is very interesting, labelling can be so confusing
I have to admit that before reading this, I had never bothered to read the packing and labeling on products. I will certainly head over and check it out.
I am going to have a look at this, very interesting. Im constantly reading the labels due to my daughter’s allergies but I never understand half of it other than what I need to for her allergies.
It is hard, isn’t it? Hopefully, this will help make things easier for people.
A very useful site – thank you!
Interesting! I will take a look. I must confess that I mainly look for the V for veggie or vegan marks and not worry too much about other things except perhaps nasty trans fatty acids..
It’s worth learning about the health side of things I think – something which can help us all.
Wow this is completely a new ball game
For me. It is really surprising what you learn from labels too isn’t it
It is amazing all the information they can hold – I definitely need to learn more.
I do try to read about food labels and try to pay attention to ingredients to ensure that what we eat is healthy. I just hope brands are being truthful about them.
Over here at least the rules are quite strict, but they can definitely be hard to understand.
I’m diabetic so pay a lot of attention to labels. It is surprising how much they differ between brands and how much truth there is to some.
It is really crazy isn’t it – I know Ash knows more about labels than me because of his diabetes.
Sounds new to me and I really find this topic interesting. I need to learn more about this and need to fill out the form too. Good to learn new things and information about labeling.
Definitely worth filling out the form I found it so interesting to do!
This is really interesting and good to know. It’s amazing how misleading some labelling can be.
They are quite strict on what the wording can be and it has to be backed by science. However, the way it is put can be quite hard to understand.
I always check the packaging before I buy but I love to cook from scratch so mainly use fresh ingredients.
Would you like to see health labelling on fresh ingredients?
This is so interesting! I’ll pop over and fill out the survey. It can be so hard sometimes to know what labels really mean!
Thank you for filling out the survey! It taught me a lot filling it out.
Some really useful information here, I have to admit that I rarely read the packaging though and I know I really should
It can be worth it – but I think a lot of people are put off by how hard it can be to understand.
Very useful advice. We really need to start paying more attention to our food labels, including the vital information in regards to packaging. I always try to reduce the amount of plastic used on fruit and veg purchases, but it’s not always simple.
Definitely, it has some really useful information shared on it, when you can get your head around what it is saying.
I find that some food labeling are confusing while others are just stating the obvious or what consumers may want to hear. They are confusing and I am glad you are sharing this content with us.
No problem at all hopefully people fill in the survey and we end up with clearer labelling for us all.
Honestly, I don’t look like that often. I sure will from now on!
I am glad it is going to get you looking at the packaging!
Oh wow how great that they are doing this, I will definitely head over and take part! I find labels on packaging so confusing sometimes so I would love to see them made simpler to understand and clearer too!
Definitely give it a go – I’m hoping it shows how things can be made so much clearer for people.
I have to admit I like reading the packaging and labels on many products simply because many processed foods seem to have too many ingredients to achieve a taste or texture.
It is strange how people are so different when it comes to packaging and how much they read.
To be honest, I sometimes don’t understand the labels as I find there are too many things written and confusing at times. So posts like this help me understand better and highlight what to pay attention to
Definitely worthing doing the interactive quiz then as it will help you understand a bit more and help the future of labelling!
This is a good idea, as we could all stand to learn more about reading packaging. I learned when my youngest was diagnosed with Celiac that different things are hidden in different names and places, and some not at all.
It is crazy how some of it is done, isn’t it?
This sounds like a fantastic initiative! I definitely don’t understand it all – I try to but sometimes it just seems like it is a foreign language to me!
Definitely, they need to remember most people don’t understand the scientific terms.
When I started paying attention to the labels, I found some easy to understand and others not so much.
It is interesting how some companies do one and some the other? Shame there is a way for people to make changes.
I think I’d do so badly on these tests as I don’t think I’d know what the nutritional values meant and how labels differ, but it’s something I think we should know more about x
Have a go I did really badly as well but came out feeling like I had learnt and not feeling bad for doing bad.
I don’t know much. If it tastes good, I eat it. This is why I have to jog nearly daily though because I tend to go for the unhealthy foods. Oops.
Haha, I have to admit I often feel like that as well – then think about it after.
Yes, you have to know things when reading food packages. Anything can be called natural but that does not make it health
It is interesting how things can be used in that way for sure.
This is interesting, some food labelling can ve very confusing I find
Definitely worth filling out the survey then as it will help them with labelling in future.
I can pretty much guarantee that I have no idea!! But I am most definitely going to give it a go x
It’s really interesting even if you find you didn’t know much and of course it will help make it hopefully easier to understand in future.
Thanks for sharing this. I have just popped on over and completed this. Surprising how the wording on the repackaging can influence your opinion on a product.
It really is, isn’t it? I was surprised by what made me interested and what didn’t.
Interesting I never really understood this very much worth knowing thank you
Worth going through the survey then as it will help shape the future of labelling.
Some really useful information here, I always feel some labelling can be misleading and hard to understand
It’s all backed by science which is the good part so it can’t tell you untruths.
This is a worthwhile initiative. I will go to the website and complete the questionnaire.
Thank you hopefully it will help towards clearer labelling in future.