Learn to read a label
What the back of an Indian pack actually tells you, and what the front of it leaves out. Every figure quoted on these pages comes from a label we have read and hand-checked, described by category rather than by brand.
Guides
- How a LabelSaaf score is calculatedThe full method: five bands, the point ladders for sugar, sodium, saturated fat and energy, and why the cut-offs are Indian rather than European.
- How to read an Indian food labelWhat the back of an Indian pack actually tells you: per 100 g vs per serving, which rows are required, and the four numbers worth reading first.
- Per 100 g vs per serving: the arithmetic on the packA serving size is chosen by the manufacturer, not by you. How to convert a per-serving panel to per 100 g, and why a small serving makes a number look calm.
- How much sugar per 100 g is too much?Total sugars vs added sugars, the 10 g per 100 g threshold, and what the numbers look like on real Indian packs from biscuits to malted drink powders.
- Sodium and salt on Indian labels: how much is too muchThe 2,000 mg daily reference, how to turn sodium into salt, and why a namkeen at 1,950 mg per 100 g is a different question from a spice mix at 12,862 mg.
- "No added sugar", "multigrain", "whole wheat": what the front of the pack meansFront-of-pack claims are regulated loosely and the back of the pack settles them. What each phrase permits, and the enforcement cases that show the gap.
- "Vegetable oil" on an Indian label usually means palmWhy palmolein hides behind a generic word, where it shows up, and what it does to the saturated-fat row that drives a large part of the score.
- INS numbers on Indian packs, explainedINS 211, 330, 471, 551, 627 and 631 and the rest: what each number is, why it is in the pack, and how additives affect a LabelSaaf score.
- FSSAI's red hexagon warning label: what is proposed, and whenFSSAI's proposed red hexagon warning (HIGH SUGAR, HIGH SALT, HIGH FAT) on packaged food: what triggers it, the Supreme Court timeline, and how to check a pack yourself.
- Food label scanner apps in India, comparedTruthIn, FactsScan, Open Food Facts, Yuka and LabelSaaf on facts you can check: what each reads, whether it works in India, and store ratings as of September 2026.
- Is INS 471 vegetarian? Additives that can come from animalsINS 471, 322, 627, 631, 635 and 920 can come from plants or animals. What FSSAI's green and brown marks settle, and the questions they deliberately leave open.
- Maltodextrin on Indian labels: what it is and why it is thereMaltodextrin is a starch-based carbohydrate that labels mostly don't count as sugar but the body treats like one. Where it turns up, and how to read around it.
- INS 330 on a food label: citric acid, explainedINS 330 is citric acid, one of the two most common additives on Indian packs. What it does, where it comes from, whether it is vegetarian, and how it affects a score.
- Sodium benzoate (INS 211) on Indian labelsSodium benzoate preserves soft drinks, sauces and pickles. Why LabelSaaf ranks it moderate rather than low, the sodium it adds, and the vitamin C question.
- Are namkeen and bhujia healthy? What seven Indian snack labels showFat, sodium and energy per 100 g across seven packaged Indian savoury snacks we hand-checked, what a handful really contains, and how two of them score.
- How much sugar is in health drink powders? What seven Indian labels showMalt, chocolate and protein drink powders print 24 to 48 g of sugar per 100 g. What that means in a glass of milk, and how to read the jar.
- How AI reads an Indian food label, and where it slipsWhat an AI food label scanner reads from one photo, the places a reading can go wrong on Indian packs, and how to get a clean read. The score itself comes from published rules.
- Can AI tell you if a packaged food is healthy?AI is very good at reading a food label and a poor place to put the judgement. Why LabelSaaf lets AI read the pack and published rules score it.
