Diabetes and Food Packaging!

[Sandra_W]

When you buy a Ready meal, or virtually any other packaged food. it is measured as one healthy adult portion, So why on earth, for example, do they put 380g in the package and then list the nutrients per 100g. Why can't manufacturers tell you the carbs, etc, in THAT portion. This is something that has been doing my head in for years. They list nutrients in the most ridiculous way, which I'm sure is done, just to confuse the public. I must spend an extra unnecessary hour, in the supermarket, trying to calculate the carbs in everything I eat. Or a desert, tells you it is 6 portions, weighs 650g, and is 23g per 100g weight !!!! I've never been good at Maths and sure I make huge mistakes when trying to divide numbers in a busy supermarket.

And my second rant, is why does our Food standards people allow manufacturers to have large SUGAR FREE branding on everything, when what it actually means is there's no added sugar. These so called Sugar free items, more often than not are fruity things which SHOULD be healthier for us, but there's more fruit in there so actually more natural sugar than buying the normal brands. I've been caught out no end of times buying my treat sweets.

Can't Diabetes UK start a petition or something to get the manufacturers to see some sense PLEASE

EDIT: Can I just say, that I wasn't referring to portion size at all, What I was trying to get at, was that when a package is obviously a single portion or single meal, why can't ALL manufacturers quote the nutrient values per the pack, instead of saying 'x'g of carb in 100g, when the pack is a silly number like 385g. I've noticed Aldi on some of their packaging do actually say, Pack contains ? but the majority make you work it out. After being a T1 diabetic for 50 yrs now, I'm getting a bit fed up of the massive brain work in the supermarkets Lol

 

[Resurgam]

After a couple of years of low carbing I am now finding that I have avoided some foods which are fairly low per portion but are higher than my 10 percent limit when seen as a percentage or a whole packet.
Not many, to be honest, but there are a few. The most noticeable is Lemon meringue mix, which seems fine when made with a ground almond case - though I make small ones rather than use the whole lot at once - I have a will of iron, except when tempted....

 

[LindsayJane]

Try to think of it as a percentage. 23g per 100g is 23% which is nearly one quarter.

 

[Listlad]

You get my sympathy. Not everyone is arithmetically agile and even if they are it can take some time all the same checking the hell out of everything you want to buy.

Of course there are those that say why buy pre processed foods but that can be harsh on some that rely on a bit of convenience.

I tend to go with the grams per 100grams figure. It’s almost always there and I am conversant with it now.

Footnote. I very very rarely buy a ready made meal at the supermarket. My wife has deterred me from them as she works for a company that makes them. I used to buy the occasional ready made curry but not at all now.

 

[hankjam]

They often list it as /100 g and as /30 g if the item comes in units of 30g, large biscuit or some such, or if the item weighs 450g is intended to 2 serving they will list as /225 g.
I tend to use the /100 g and if it is more than 7 or 8 will think about how much of it I will eat
They try but don't make it easy....

 

[Bluetit1802]

I just look at the grams per 100g as a percentage. As @LindsayJane says, something with for example 25g per 100g is 25%, which is a quarter. Therefore a quarter of whatever portion you eat is carbohydrate. It is a European directive, and all EU countries are obliged to label their foods this way, along with many other countries. Many food products also give the amount per serving in addition to the amount per 100g. but you then have to search for how big the serving size is.

I can understand how frustrating it may be for those on insulin that are carb counting for the purposes of injecting.

 

[HSSS]

A large number of things come as dual labelled. Ie the per 100g and the per portion amounts.

Personally I hate the per portion labels. I dread it chang8 g to American style portion only readings. I’d have far more maths to do and more awkward maths at that. It only works if you eat that exact portion size, which I rarely do. But then I don’t eat ready meals either as it’s very rare that their carb amounts are low enough in my opinion. I prefer to think in % of whatever amount I eat.

So I guess labelling in both keeps everyone happy.

As far as sugar free goes with diabetics I take no notice whatsoever of this label. I’m interested in carbs not sugars so have to look on the back anyway.

 

[Resurgam]

I have to confess that I have a sliderule on hand to calculate the total carbs and then the carbs per portion, or what proportion of the whole represents the amount of carbs I wish to eat.
I learned to use it almost 60 years ago and it has never required a new battery.....

 

[DCUKMod]

When you buy a Ready meal, or virtually any other packaged food. it is measured as one healthy adult portion, So why on earth, for example, do they put 380g in the package and then list the nutrients per 100g. Why can't manufacturers tell you the carbs, etc, in THAT portion. This is something that has been doing my head in for years. They list nutrients in the most ridiculous way, which I'm sure is done, just to confuse the public. I must spend an extra unnecessary hour, in the supermarket, trying to calculate the carbs in everything I eat. Or a desert, tells you it is 6 portions, weighs 650g, and is 23g per 100g weight !!!! I've never been good at Maths and sure I make huge mistakes when trying to divide numbers in a busy supermarket.

And my second rant, is why does our Food standards people allow manufacturers to have large SUGAR FREE branding on everything, when what it actually means is there's no added sugar. These so called Sugar free items, more often than not are fruity things which SHOULD be healthier for us, but there's more fruit in there so actually more natural sugar than buying the normal brands. I've been caught out no end of times buying my treat sweets.

Can't Diabetes UK start a petition or something to get the manufacturers to see some sense PLEASE

Sandra, others have commented on the carb content elements of our post, so I'll just comment on the ordering of ingredients and nutrients. Firstly, the ingredients are listed in order they are in the product, so if chicken, sa, is first on the list, it means there's more, gym percentage of chicken in the product than any other ingredient. I sometimes find it helpful/shocking to note where sugar or additives are in this order!

Secondly, in terms of the nutritional content of items; this appears to be an international thing. I a man overseas, in SE Asia at the moment, but the nutri nuts are listed in the same order as UK. I also used to find this with US and Caribbean foods. This lists would be in a predictable order.

 

[Listlad]

I have to confess that I have a sliderule on hand to calculate the total carbs and then the carbs per portion, or what proportion of the whole represents the amount of carbs I wish to eat.
I learned to use it almost 60 years ago and it has never required a new battery.....

I moved on from there and used an HP41C (no not a typo)

 

[Member496333]

My guess is that it’s because if they list per package, as apposed to just what they’re legally bound by, it would more readily reveal the vastly higher numbers. Although they’re probably more concerned with showing lower fat content than they are carbohydrate.

In a sense, per serving in most processed food is even more misleading. Anyone who’s ever tried weighing a “serving” of granola or similar will laugh at the ridiculously small portion. But getting back to ready meals, yes it would be better to list everything per package, but that’s unlikely to happen much unless there is a legal requirement.

 

[Deleted Account]

Unfortunately, there is some times more to consider when calculating the amount of carbs we are eating.
Often the nutritional values on the labels are per 100g cooked.
But I weight my food before I cook it and need to calculate carbs to pre-bolus insulin whilst I am cooking. If I inject my insulin when I have completed cooking, I either have to wait (for my food to get cold) or experience a BG spike because the carbs affect my blood before the insulin starts to act.
Often, there are hints on the label ("this packet contains 5 portions") which give a hint but it is vey annoying you have to be a detective/puzzle solver as well as a mathematician.

The lesson of this is to read the label carefully when calculating carb content as there may be little words like "cooked" to consider.

 

[Brunneria]

I like the 'per 100g' labelling. Nice and straight forward (at least, straight forward for the way my mind works)

The whole pack weighs 800g?
There are 25g carbs in a 100g?
A portion is 200g?
Then each portion is 50g carbs, and it doesn't go in my basket.

 

[Resurgam]

I moved on from there and use an HP41C (no not a typo)

Wooo - how honoured are we mere mortals - when I asked for a calculator my boss almost choked on his profiteroles.

 

[Mr_Pot]

Maybe US carbs are stated by serving size because most people are not familiar with grams and mental calculations in fractions of ounces would be tricky. I wonder how insulin users cope with carb counting in the US?

 

[Grant_Vicat]

I just look at the grams per 100g as a percentage. As @LindsayJane says, something with for example 25g per 100g is 25%, which is a quarter. Therefore a quarter of whatever portion you eat is carbohydrate. It is a European directive, and all EU countries are obliged to label their foods this way, along with many other countries. Many food products also give the amount per serving in addition to the amount per 100g. but you then have to search for how big the serving size is.

I can understand how frustrating it may be for those on insulin that are carb counting for the purposes of injecting.

It's even more frustrating when verging on a hypo, as the following shows:
1990 While working on the organ of Our Lady of Victories in Kensington High Street, I was asked by John Bailey, the Ipswich Manager to go and buy some lunch for both of us. “Here is £10”. Being a ‘naturally obedient’ individual, I walked to Marks and Spencer’s at the east end of the street, next to Barker’s. This necessitated crossing four side roads. Having arrived in the Food Hall, I remember picking up a cheaper packet of sandwiches for John, who was perched high above the ground in a navy grey bird hide, (actually a Swell box in the organ) and a Melton Mowbray pork pie for me. I was having enormous difficulty with calculating the carbohydrate total. The next part of the story brings me to the church kitchen, at least forty minutes later. John was standing the other side of the table looking quizzically at me:
“Er, did you get the sandwiches?”
“I think so” (He spotted them on the table with evidence of some consumption).
“Er, did you actually get a receipt?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, where is it?”
After ‘swimming' through my wallet, shoulder bag and pockets, I returned £10 to John.
“Er do you realise that you must have stolen those?”
I was on the verge of unconsciousness.
I have no recollection of paying the store back, and contacted them years later at their customer services, where I spoke to a very helpful Tariq, who told me not to worry. At the very least I would like to thank them for their contribution to the food industry. I hope that security now is better than twenty years ago!
Maybe nowadays anyone could photograph the package for future info and get a friendly mathematician to work out the answer. I normally enjoy working out these problems!

 

[SlimLizzy]

Fell foul of this labelling confusion tonight.
Pack contains 4 servings, check the weight, 478g ooh over over 100g per serving
carefully weighed out 100g
Trying something new today so tested before dinner. 5.4
Had same stir fry as yesterday, portion looked small, so added a small amount more red pepper and some cauliflower florets.
Then on to dessert, my 100g Halotop salted caramel flavour ice cream.
Have a suspicion my metabolism is running fast, so tested after an hour 8.8
Whats going on here? Back to food carton, seems a portion is 118 ml, or 70g so tonight had one and a half portions.
Tempted to try skipping or something, but settled for minor activity (Washing up)
after two hours down to 5.8

So used to food labels reading carbs per 100g, didnt see it was carbs per 100ml.
Note to self READ THE LABEL

 

[Mr_Pot]

When you buy a Ready meal, or virtually any other packaged food. it is measured as one healthy adult portion,

I just re-read your original post. I don't think the portion size is really an indication of how much you should eat but a vague guide to the size of the pack. For example, an M&S serves 2 curry, assumes you are going to have it with rice or a naan and possibly an onion bhaji. I would eat the whole pack my own with just some cauliflower. Unfortunately per 100g and some mental arithmetic is the only sensible way to count carbs.

 

[derry60]

Fell foul of this labelling confusion tonight.
Pack contains 4 servings, check the weight, 478g ooh over over 100g per serving
carefully weighed out 100g
Trying something new today so tested before dinner. 5.4
Had same stir fry as yesterday, portion looked small, so added a small amount more red pepper and some cauliflower florets.
Then on to dessert, my 100g Halotop salted caramel flavour ice cream.
Have a suspicion my metabolism is running fast, so tested after an hour 8.8
Whats going on here? Back to food carton, seems a portion is 118 ml, or 70g so tonight had one and a half portions.
Tempted to try skipping or something, but settled for minor activity (Washing up)
after two hours down to 5.8

So used to food labels reading carbs per 100g, didnt see it was carbs per 100ml.
Note to self READ THE LABEL

I make my own Icecream, I buy frozen strawberries, put them into my Ninja blender, add some vanilla extract, fresh double cream, and some sweetener, Pulse a few times. That is it..Icecream. Much better than Halo icecream and cheaper.

 

[derry60]

My advice is to stay away from ready meals. I ate the weight watcher ones, along with what I thought was healthy foods, Everything low fat. Check the sugar in those ready meals, whether diet ones or not. They are very high, along with the carbs. Then check the ingredients. Put it this way if I were making myself homemade casserole, I would not be using ingredients that are in those ready meals.