How to Read the Labels on Our Products

Reading Nutrition Information Panels (aka NIPs) on food and beverage labels shouldn’t require serious homework. Taking the time to understand the basic components of the NIP will not only save you time at the supermarket shelf but can also help you select a beverage that meets your individual dietary needs.

All our beverages, except for plain water (as it is simply water and is kJ free), carry a NIP as required by the Food Standards Code. The uniformity of all NIPs can also help you to compare the nutrition profile of different beverage choices.

Energy (Kilojoules)

The NIP provides nutrition information ‘per serve’ and ‘per 100 ml’ so you can compare products. The first component in the NIP is energy which refers to the kilojoules found in the product. On Coca‑Cola products in Australia energy is shown in both kilojoules (kJ) and Calories (Cal) in the NIP for your convenience. The body uses energy (kilojoules) as fuel to function. The nutrients in the product, listed beneath energy in the NIP, contribute to the total energy listed here.

Knowing the energy that foods and beverages provide can help you to balance the energy you take in with the energy you expend throughout the day via basic bodily functions, normal daily activities and physical activity.

Nutrients

Beneath energy in the NIP you will find protein, fat (total and saturated fat), carbohydrates (total and sugars), dietary fibre and sodium. These are listed in both the ‘per serve’ and ‘per 100 ml’ column in grams (g) or, in the case of sodium, in milligrams (mg).

The energy/kilojoule content our beverages depends primarily on the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrate present. Fat contains the highest amount of kilojoules per gram, followed by carbohydrate and protein.

• Fat contains 37kJ per gram
• Carbohydrate contains 17kJ per gram
• Protein contains 17kJ per gram

Some food and beverages, including some of our products, also provide additional information in the NIP to show the quantities, in milligrams (mg) and micrograms (µg), of vitamins and minerals a product contains. Again these are listed ‘per serve’ and ‘per 100 ml’ but also as a percentage of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI). For example, the NIP on the label of ‘Glaceau Vitaminwater’ also contains a ‘% RDI’ column. In this column you will see the vitamins and minerals in a serve as a percent of the specific RDI for each vitamin and mineral.

%Daily Intake

Total Daily Intakes (DI) are a set of reference values (see table below) for acceptable intakes of energy (kilojoules), protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fibre and sodium. These are not recommendations for daily intake but are a guide based on an average adult diet of 8700kJ per day and are stipulated in the Food Standards Code. The correct level for you may be higher or lower depending on your own daily energy needs.

You will see a ‘%DI’ (% Daily Intake) column in the NIP. This column shows you the energy (kilojoules) and nutrients in a serve of our beverages represented as a percentage of the Total Daily Intake. %DI are an easy way to see how foods and beverages can fit into your daily diet and are useful to help you compare products and choose beverages that best suit your individual needs.

%DI Label on Front of Pack

To ensure the energy (kilojoule) content of our beverages is clearly visible, all our products except for water also show the number of kilojoules they contain per serve and the %DI for energy in a ‘thumbnail’ on the front of the label. The design and format of the thumbnail was developed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) to make it easier for consumers to compare products at the supermarket shelf and therefore make more informed choices. The thumbnail provides at-a-glance energy information that can assist you in managing your daily energy intake because it helps you work out how much a serve of each of our drinks contributes to your daily energy needs. For example, the thumbnail on the front of a 375ml can of 'Coca‑Cola' shows that each can contains 675kJ which is 8% of the DI for energy for an average adult. 

The Coca‑Cola Company provides a wide range of beverages, including low-kilojoule varieties, as well as varying portion sizes, to meet your individual needs at any particular occasion.

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