The Narrow Focus on Additive Codes
In the quest for healthier eating, many of us have been trained to fear food additives. These substances, often listed as INS (International Numbering System) or E-numbers, are used to preserve freshness, enhance flavour, or improve texture. It's true
that some people can have sensitivities to certain additives, and a long list of them can indicate a highly processed product. However, an obsessive focus on these codes alone is like worrying about the colour of a car's paint while ignoring what's under the hood. All approved additives undergo safety assessments, and many are derived from natural sources. The real danger in processed foods often comes not from the tested and approved additives, but from the overwhelming quantities of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats they contain.
The Serving Size Illusion
One of the most misleading parts of a nutrition label is the serving size. Food manufacturers often list nutritional values for a surprisingly small serving—say, for just four biscuits in a large packet, or 100ml of a 500ml fizzy drink. The numbers for calories, sugar, and fat might look reasonable at a glance. But if you consume the entire package, which many of us do, you could be taking in four or five times the amount of those nutrients. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates that labels show nutritional information 'per 100g/ml' as well as 'per serving' to provide a more standardized measure. Always checking the 'per 100g' column gives you a truer comparison between products, and looking at the number of servings per container reveals the real caloric and nutritional cost of eating the whole thing.
The Bigger Picture: Sugar, Fat, and Salt
While we are busy decoding E250, it is the trio of added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium that quietly contributes more significantly to lifestyle diseases. The first three ingredients on a list make up the bulk of the product by weight. If sugar, 'maida' (refined wheat flour), or hydrogenated oils are at the top, the product is likely high in empty calories, unhealthy fats, and refined carbs, regardless of its additive content. These ingredients are directly linked to weight gain, high cholesterol, and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In recognition of this, FSSAI has been working towards implementing front-of-pack labelling that clearly warns consumers if a product is high in fat, salt, or sugar. This shifts the focus to the nutrients that have the largest public health impact.
A Smarter Way to Read Labels
To make genuinely informed choices, we need to change our approach. Instead of starting with the additive codes, follow this simple hierarchy. First, check the serving size and the number of servings in the pack to understand the total nutritional load you're considering. Second, look at the 'per 100g' values for energy (calories), added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. Use this as a baseline to compare different products. A food is generally considered high in a nutrient if it contains more than 20% of your Daily Value (%DV) for that nutrient per serving. Finally, scan the ingredients list. Look at the first three items to see what the food is primarily made of. The additive codes at the end of the list are the final piece of the puzzle, not the main event. A short, recognizable ingredient list is often a good sign.
