How to read a food label in 60 seconds

"Multigrain", "no added sugar", "lite": packaging is designed to sell. The nutrition label is where the truth lives. Here is my 60-second method.

1. Check the serving size (10 seconds)

All the numbers on the label are per serving. If the pack says a serving is 3 biscuits and you eat 6, double everything.

2. Look at sugar (15 seconds)

Use the per 100 g column to compare products:

• High: more than 22.5 g of sugar per 100 g
• Low: 5 g or less per 100 g

These are the UK's front-of-pack thresholds, and they work as a handy rule of thumb anywhere.

3. Scan the fats and salt (15 seconds)

• Saturated fat: more than 5 g per 100 g is high; 1.5 g or less is low
• Salt: more than 1.5 g per 100 g is high; 0.3 g or less is low

4. Read the first three ingredients (20 seconds)

Ingredients are listed from largest to smallest amount. If sugar, refined flour (maida) or oil comes first, that is mostly what you're eating. Watch out for sugar's many names: glucose, fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, maltose and invert sugar.

"Multigrain" doesn't mean whole grain. Look for "whole wheat" or "whole grain" as the first ingredient.

Quick wins

• Compare two similar products using the per 100 g column
• Choose the one with more fibre and less sugar
• Don't let one "healthy" claim distract you from the rest of the label

Labels are a tool, not a test. Use them to make better swaps, not to feel guilty.