How to read the label
Most of our own-label products are clearly labelled with nutrition information to help you choose healthier options. And because we are committed to health, on many of these products we have provided various logos so it’s even easier for you to take control of what you eat. We support the Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI) Code of Practice, which aims to ensure health claims on foods are both legal and scientifically justified.
Checking the nutrition information on food labels will help you make sure you and your family are eating a healthy balanced diet.
Wheel of health traffic-light labelling
Sainsbury’s traffic-light labelling on the front of food and drink tells you if it has high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) amounts of fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories. It takes into account the type of food. For example, the calories segment for a croissant with 188 calories will be red but for a ready meal with 188 calories it will be green, as a ready meal makes up a greater proportion of your diet. Try to go for more greens and ambers, and fewer reds.
Nutrition information
The nutrition panel on the back of packs shows the amount of different nutrients that food or drink provides per 100g – where space permits, we also give the information per serving.
We use the traffic-light colour coding for the nutrition panel, too. You’ll also find Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) on all Sainsbury’s own-label products and many branded products. These are a guide to the daily amount of nutrients the average adult or child (5–10 years) should have in their diet.
They show you what percentage of your GDA is in a portion of a product, helping you see the nutritional contribution it makes to your overall diet.
5-a-day
Our 5-a-day logo on fruit and vegetable labels indicates the number of fruit or veg portions a pack or serving contains, in accordance with official advice to eat at least five portions a day.
Our new-look 5-a-day labels now also offer advice, including handy tips on what counts as a portion, and why each type of fruit or vegetable is good for you.
The logo is only used on products that meet our strict healthy eating criteria of limited fat, salt and sugar. Originally introduced on our fresh produce, it is now being extended to other food ranges such as Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself ready-meals, and in the future to cans and frozen products when we introduce the wheel of health in these areas.
Labelling allergens
We are legally required to declare the presence of certain allergens in products. These allergens must be included in the ingredient list, and to make it easier for you we also summarise them in our ‘allergy advice box’. If there is a risk that a product has come into contact with an allergen through cross contamination that could put a customer with an allergy at risk, the following phrase is used in the allergy advice box:
