How to Read a Nutrition Label in India

Every packaged food sold legally in India must carry a nutrition label as mandated by FSSAI. Most people glance at it, find the numbers confusing, and default to reading the marketing claims on the front instead. Here is how to actually use it.

Step 1: Start with serving size

The first thing to check is the serving size declared on the label. All the nutritional values listed are per that serving size, not per packet. Many products declare a serving size that is unrealistically small to make the numbers look better. A packet of chips declared as 2.5 servings means you need to multiply every number by 2.5 to understand what you actually consume when you eat the whole packet.

Step 2: Read total calories in context

Calories per serving give you energy density information. More useful is comparing calories to nutritional value: a 200-calorie serving of dal delivers protein, fibre, iron, and complex carbohydrates. A 200-calorie serving of a packaged snack may deliver primarily refined starch and oil. Same calories, completely different nutritional return.

Step 3: Check the sugar line

Total sugars are declared separately from total carbohydrates on FSSAI-compliant labels. Anything above 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams in a savoury product is high. In a sweet product, look at whether the sugar comes with fibre (as in fruit) or without (as in a biscuit or flavoured drink).

Step 4: Look at sodium

Indian packaged food tends to be high in sodium. Above 600 mg per 100 grams is high. Above 1000 mg is very high. Chronic high sodium intake is a driver of hypertension, which affects an estimated 30 percent of Indian adults.

Step 5: Cross-reference the ingredients list

The nutrition panel tells you the numbers. The ingredients list tells you where they came from. If the first three ingredients are refined flour, sugar, and vegetable oil, the nutritional numbers will reflect that regardless of how they are framed. Read both together for the full picture.