Nutrition Labelling and
Prevention of High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure


According to a local survey
conducted in 2003/2004,
about 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4
women in Hong Kong have
high blood pressure.
People with high blood
pressure may not know at its
early stage of development
and yet untreated high blood
pressure can lead to heart
attack, stroke, kidney failure,
etc.
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1 in 3 men have
high blood pressure -
1 in 4 women have
high blood pressure -
Dietary Modifications for High
Blood Pressure Prevention

Lower the intake of sodium can
reduce the risk of developing high
blood pressure.

Lower the intake of saturated fat and
trans fat can reduce the risk of
developing heart diseases.

Choose foods with lower energy, fat
and sugars contents for those who are
overweight.
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Preventing High Blood Pressure
and Nutrition Labelling

Using nutrition
label can help us
to find out the
sodium content
of food products.
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Read and Use Nutrition Labels
Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Tabular format
1
7
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Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Linear format
(for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)
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Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels

1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients
specified for labelling) –
i.e. energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat,
trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and
sodium.

Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s)
(when the nutrition claim is on any type
of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be
declared as well).

For other nutrients, declaration is
voluntary
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Making Use of Nutrition Label
Consumers can:

Compare the nutritional content among
different foods for a healthier choice, e.g.
choose food that is lower in fat, sodium
(or salt) and sugars

Understand the nutritional content of
food and estimate their contribution to
the overall diet

To meet individual’s dietary needs
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Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food
contains a lot or a little of energy or a
nutrient in the food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as
per 100 g (or
per 100 mL) of
food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per serving (the serving size
(in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be
specified on the package)
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per package (if the package
contains only a single serving )
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Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
A) Use nutrition label to compare
between products
B) Use nutrition label to calculate the
amount of energy and nutrients
you get from food
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed
in the SAME reference amount
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit
If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit
If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

The more you eat, the more you get

If you eat 1 serving of biscuit
 Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat

If you eat 2 servings of biscuit
 Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

%NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food


For nutrients that needed to limit their intake

E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and
sugars

Look for foods that have lower %NRV
Get enough of nutrients that are good for health

E.g. dietary fibre

Look for foods that have higher %NRV
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Use Nutrition Label to
Choose Healthy Food
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Principles of Healthy Eating

Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the
largest portion of food in every meal.

Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.

Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with
high salt, fat and sugar content as well as
those which are preserved.

A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including
clear soup, fruit juice and tea).

Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts.
(Source of information:
Department of Health)
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Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool
for Practising Healthy Eating

Nutrition label and nutrition claim can
help consumers choose healthier food in
accordance with healthy eating principles
and the Food Pyramid, e.g.

Choose biscuits lower in fat and sodium
(or salt)

Choose dairy products lower in fat

Choose beverages lower in sugars
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How to Choose Prepackaged Food
to Prevent High Blood Pressure?
Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
1. Take note of relevant nutrition
claim as a quick screening tool;
and
2. Take three simple steps to read
nutrition label
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods

Choose foods with lower sodium and combined
amount of saturated fat, trans fat. For those who
require weight maintenance, choose foods with
lower energy, fat and sugars contents

Nutrition claim only gives a rough idea about the
content of a particular nutrient, one should not
make a food choice solely on the basis of a
nutrition claim. In order to eat healthily, we should
take note of other nutrients as well. For example,
when buying a product with a “low sodium” claim,
one should take note of the content of fat and other
nutrients.
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Nutrient content claims on sodium are classified into “Free”,
“Very low” and “Low” claims
Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims Claim：
Free; No; Zero;
Without; Does not
contain
Claim：
Very low; Extremely
low; Super low
(This category of claim
applies to sodium only)
Claim：
Low; Little; Low
source; Few; Contains
a small amount of
Meaning of Claim :
Insignificant amount of
a particular nutrient
found in the food
Meaning of Claim :
A very small amount of
sodium found in the
food
Meaning of Claim :
A small amount of
nutrient found in the
food
Example:
Sodium free
(Contain not more than
5mg of sodium per
100g/mL of food)
Example:
Very low sodium free
(Contain not more than
40mg of sodium per
100g/mL of food)
Example:
Low sodium free
(Contain not more than
120mg of sodium per
100g/mL of food)
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read and compare the nutritional content
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV) (If available)
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 1)
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 2)
Corn Flakes D
Corn Flakes C
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Preventing High Blood Pressure –
Choosing Prepackaged Foods (Example 3)
Soup E
Soup F
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ENDS
Is Salt the Same as Sodium?




Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the chemical
name of salt
Majority of sodium intake is from salt
Salt or other sodium-containing food
additives, e.g. sodium nitrate and sodium
nitrite, are often added to canned food
and processed food
Sodium itself also presents naturally in
milk and cheese
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How Much Sodium Do We Need?
The World Health Organization (WHO)
recommends  The daily intake amount of sodium should
not be more than 2 000mg
 i.e. approximates to 1 level teaspoon of salt
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