Ingredient list

How it is used

Dietitians teach clients to read the ingredient list to find added sugars, whole grains, allergens or additives. On packaging it usually starts with the word 'Ingredients:'. Allergens are often highlighted, for example in bold.

Example sentences

1. If sugar is first on the ingredient list, there is more sugar in the product than any other ingredient.

2. Check the ingredient list for milk powder or whey, which both contain milk protein.

Common collocations

• read the ingredient list
• check the ingredient list
• first on the ingredient list
• full ingredient list

Related terms

• nutrition labelThe panel on packaged food that lists the energy and the amounts of nutrients, such as fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and salt, usually per 100 g and per serving.
• allergenA substance, usually a protein, that can cause an allergic reaction. In food labeling, it refers to specific foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, wheat or sesame.
• added sugarSugars and syrups put into foods and drinks during processing or preparation, such as table sugar, honey and corn syrup, as opposed to the sugars naturally found in whole fruit and milk.
• whole grainA grain such as wheat, oats, barley or brown rice that still contains all three parts of the kernel: the bran, the germ and the endosperm.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• ingredient list · Food Science & Technology

More terms: Food Labels and Guidelines

• serving size
• daily value
• RDA
• health claim
• dietary guidelines