On the food packaging, we find a lot of information, abbreviations and other indications. By reading the following description you will be able to orient yourself more easily in this jungle of data.
Composition
The ingredients are listed in a list in descending order by quantity. This list allows you to evaluate the amount by which each ingredient is present in the product. For example, in the case of a yogurt, the ingredients are listed in the following order: milk, sugar, and strawberries. This means that milk is the main ingredient of yogurt being the first that appears on the list. Sugar is listed before strawberries and is, therefore, an ingredient present in greater quantities than strawberries. Depending on the manufacturer or the type of food on the packaging there may be other information, such as: "contains gluten" or "excessive consumption may have laxative effects". This type of information serves to protect allergy sufferers or to draw attention to possible unpleasant effects such as diarrhea.
Nutritive values
In Switzerland, the characterization of nutritional value is not mandatory; however, it is present on almost all food products. For the most part, the indications of the nutritional values are summarized in a table that not only informs about the nutritive values for 100 gr/ml but also for a portion of food. This table also contains the GDA, abbreviation for Guideline Daily Amounts or indicative daily quantities. They indicate the amount of energy (calories) and nutrients present per serving of food expressed as a percentage of the recommended daily quantities indicated. The GDA is based on a diet with a caloric intake of 2000 kcal, a reference value that corresponds to the average daily requirement of a healthy adult individual.
Other data
In addition to the composition and nutritional values, the country of production, the method of preparation, storage, expiry or disposal possibilities are also indicated on the packaging of a food.