Comprehending food labels effectively: We are what we eat

It has come to my attention that there is still an alarming rate of South Africans who are illiterate; South Africa has a literacy rate that lays 80% (www.expatcapetown.com/southafrica/litracy-rate). In a developing country, this should not be the case. This poses a huge problem, how are people suppose to comprehend food labels effectively if they can’t read, “we are what we eat”? Colour-coded food labels were proposed to the government but it was declined, the government stated that it is confusing, simplistic and sends the wrong message about healthy choices (www.pushforfoodlables ).

The more practice we get reading food labels, the better we can become in using them as a tool to plan a healthy balance diet. The nutrition facts label is a boxed panel required by the food and drug administration on most packaged food and beverages products. The nutrition facts labels provide detailed information about the nutrient content of the product. The label is intended to help us make healthier choices; it also enables us to compare similar products to see which one might be a healthier choice. You can read the nutrient label to determine the amounts of such nutrients as fat, sodium and fibre in specific products.(www.nutrientfacts:aninteractiveguidetoffodlabels)