Tips For Identifying Nutritional Information
Food labels are already difficult to understand and add in another language and it can become an almost impossible task. Whether you’re looking for one of the major top allergens or have another dietary restriction, these tips will help you translate the product name, ingredients, and nutrition facts. Bookmark these tips to use the next time you order groceries online or browse the food aisles.
Looking for information about Korean snacks? Get the Korean Convenience app on the App Store or Google Play Store
What’s On The Front
Letter fonts are written in various colors, shapes, and sizes. Important tips to remember are the word that’s written the largest is usually the name of the product. What is written directly underneath is usually the flavor of the product i.e. spicy, peanut, or sweet.
Korean Manufacturers
There are several popular manufacturers from South Korea. Some of the organizations have business in South Korea and abroad such as in the United States.
Popular brand names you will see on packages include:
- Binggrae
- CJ Foods
- Crown
- Daesang
- Dr. Chung’s Food
- Lotte
- Maeil
- Nongshim
- Orion
- Ottogi
- Our Home
- Paldo
- Samyang
*There are additional companies that are not mentioned in the list above.
Expiration & Manufactured Dates
One of the key differences for consumers may be how the day, month, and year are written on the packages. A lot of countries in Asia follow the hierarchical system and use the DD-MM-YYYY format.
What’s On The Back
You want to make healthier choices, but you can’t understand the ingredient label. Here are some tips to help you translate the back of the food package.
Nutrition Facts Label English & Hangul Translation
Additional Terms
Listed below are additional terms that you might need help translating.
- Product Name – 제품명
- Item Report Number – 품목보고번호
- Packaging Material – 포장재질
- Shelf Life – 유통기한
- Raw Material Name/Ingredients 원재료명
Country Of Origin
Words that are enclosed within parentheses are usually countries where the product originates. Popular countries include the United States (미국산)), Malaysia (말레이시아산), Australia (호주산)), Thailand (태국산) and Dutch (네덜란드산).
Looking for information about Korean snacks? Get the Korean Convenience app on the App Store or Google Play Store
Allergens
On most packages, there’s an allergy label. They’re the last words written within the ingredients sections and are usually highlighted by a different background color. Things to remember:
Popular colors include white, yellow, and black.
Ingredients are separated by commas. Top allergens include:
- Dairy – (우유)
- Egg – (달걀)
- Fish – (생선)
- Peanuts – (땅콩)
- Sesame – (깨)
- Shellfish – (조개)
- Soybean: (콩)
- Tree Nuts – (견과류)
- Wheat – (밀가루)
Ministry Of Food & Drug Safety
To contact the Ministry Of Food & Drug Safety call +82-43-719-1564 (in English) and speak to someone regarding further concerns.
Are you looking for more information read the Food Labeling System posted on the Ministry Of Food & Drug Safety website.
No matter which country you live in, it’s important to do research on what you read on food labels especially when you have an allergen or dietary restriction. While it might be time-consuming to read health claims, ingredients, or nutritional information that can be displayed on packages, it’s important to make the best decision about food.
I would love to hear your comments down below. Do you feel this post is helpful to read Korean food labels? Also, what food packaging information would you add to assist people who love Korean food?
