Labels carry more useful information than most of us use. A few habits make comparing products much faster.
Ingredients are ordered by weight
The first three ingredients tell you most of what you need to know. If something you did not expect appears near the top, that is worth noticing.
Best before is not use by
Use by is a safety date — respect it, particularly on meat, fish and dairy. Best before is about quality. Plenty of food is perfectly good after a best-before date, though it may have lost a little texture or flavour.
Check the serving size before the numbers
Two products can look very different on paper simply because one declares a smaller serving. Compare per 100g or per ounce, which is the one figure that is genuinely comparable.
Allergens are highlighted for a reason
Allergens are emphasised in the ingredient list. Recipes and manufacturing lines change, so if you or someone in your household has an allergy, read the pack you received rather than relying on the pack you bought last time.
Where claims are and are not regulated
Some terms on packaging carry legal definitions and some do not. Where a claim matters to you, the ingredient list and the nutrition panel are the parts that have to be accurate.
A note on our product pages. We show size, unit price and storage guidance for every item, but always read the label on the pack you actually receive — formulations and packaging change.