The Most Important Number on the Label
Walking down a supermarket aisle, you are bombarded with choices. Two brands of biscuits, both claiming to be healthy. Which one is actually better? The answer lies on the back of the pack, in the nutritional information table. And the first number to look
for is the serving size. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), all packaged foods must declare nutritional information. This information is often provided both 'per serving' and 'per 100g' or '100ml'. A serving size is the amount of food a manufacturer suggests you might eat in one sitting. It could be two biscuits, one bowl of cereal, or a handful of chips. All the other numbers on the label—calories, sugar, fat—are based on this single serving size. This makes it the foundation for understanding what you are truly consuming.
The 'Per Serve' vs. 'Per 100g' Dilemma
Here is where shoppers often get tricked. Companies are free to define their own serving sizes, and there is often no standardisation across different brands for the same type of product. One brand of chips might list a serving size of 25g, while another lists 40g. This makes a direct 'per serving' comparison of calories or sugar completely meaningless. You are not comparing like with like. This is why the 'per 100g' column is your most powerful tool. It is the great equaliser. By looking at the nutritional values per 100g, you standardise the comparison. You can see, in absolute terms, which product is higher in sugar, salt, or saturated fat, regardless of the manufacturer's suggested serving size. FSSAI regulations mandate that nutritional information be provided per 100g/ml and per serving, giving you the data you need to make this comparison.
Your Three-Step Comparison Plan
The next time you are trying to choose between two products, ignore the marketing on the front and flip the pack over. Organise your comparison with this simple plan: 1. Ignore the 'Per Serving' Column (For Now): Look straight past the per-serving values. They can be misleading because serving sizes are not consistent between brands. Your focus should be on the 'per 100g' column. 2. Compare Key Nutrients Per 100g: Line up the two products and compare them using the 'per 100g' values. Pay close attention to four key metrics: total sugar, saturated fat, sodium (salt), and total energy (calories). This gives you an objective, apple-to-apples comparison. 3. Check the Ingredients List: After comparing the numbers, look at the ingredients. They are listed in descending order by weight. If sugar, maida (refined flour), or hydrogenated oils are among the first three ingredients, it tells you what the product is mostly made of, regardless of any health claims on the front.
Putting It Into Practice
Let’s imagine you are comparing two popular packets of instant noodles. Brand A's label shows 15g of fat per serving (70g). Brand B's label shows 18g of fat per serving (85g). At first glance, Brand A seems slightly better. But this is a flawed comparison. Now let's use the 'per 100g' method. You check the labels again. Brand A has 21.4g of fat per 100g. Brand B has 21.1g of fat per 100g. Suddenly, the picture is clearer: their fat content is almost identical. Now you can make a more informed decision, perhaps by comparing their sodium content per 100g or checking which one uses whole wheat flour versus refined flour in its ingredients list. This simple shift in how you read the label empowers you to see past the marketing and understand the product's true nutritional profile.
