Our Food Labelling

About our Nutrition Labelling

We aim to provide our customers with clear information - any detail you might want or need to be able to make an informed choice about what you're eating. Our food labelling displays information and advice in a standard layout - which can make it simpler for our customers.

We set out to be open and honest – and our labelling information goes well beyond current legal requirements. For example, we provide a full breakdown of ingredients and highlight any key allergens that may be present – we also give comprehensive nutrition labelling together with guideline daily amounts recommended by nutrition professionals.

Understanding Guideline Daily Amounts

Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are derived from current Government dietary recommendations for the UK population. There are GDAs for men, women, adults and children for a range of nutrients - calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugars, protein, fibre, sodium and salt.

GDAs are provided as a daily guideline for healthy adults. They can help you to make healthier choices by making it easier for you put the nutritional content of the food you´re eating into the context of your overall diet. They´re not meant to be used as targets as people have individual requirements depending on many factors including size and activity levels.

Adult GDAs are provided for the following nutrients:

Calories

The GDA for adults is 2000 calories. This will vary in individuals so, for example, someone that´s trying to lose weight will need fewer than 2000 calories a day.

Fat

The adult GDA for total fat is 70g a day.

Saturated fat

The adult GDA for saturated fat is 20g a day. Saturated fat is the type of fat that we should be eating less of, as it can increase cholesterol in our blood- resulting in an increased risk of heart disease.

Carbohydrate

The adult GDA for carbohydrates is 230g per day. Carbohydrates supply the body with most of its energy. We should aim to eat more ´starchy´ based carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and potatoes, and fewer sugars.

Total sugars

The adult GDA for total sugars is 90g a day. This figure refers to all the sugars consumed as part of the diet including those naturally occurring in fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products- as well as those that are ´added´ such as the sugar in foods like soft drinks, confectionery, cakes and biscuits. It´s the ´added´ sugar in our diet that we should be trying to eat less of.

Protein

The adult GDA for protein is 45g per day. Protein is essential for growth and repair. In the UK we have adequate intakes of protein from our diet.

Fibre

The adult GDA for fibre is 24g per day. Fibre is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. Most people in the UK are not eating enough fibre, so we should all aim to get more into our diet.

Salt

The adult GDA for salt is 6g a day. High dietary intakes of salt have been shown to raise blood pressure and Government advice is to reduce the amount of salt in our diet.

How can we help?

Adult GDAs are provided on the majority of M&S products on the back of pack and also included on the front of pack where relevant

Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling

We provide ´at a glance´ traffic light colour coding and GDA information on products recommended by the Food Standards Agency- such as prepared meals, pies, sandwiches, pizzas, quiches, burgers, sausages, pastries, and coated meat and fish.

Colour coding shows whether a food is high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) in calories, fat, saturated fat, total sugars and salt. This colour coding is in line with the Food Standards Agency recommendations.

The colour coding is supported by % Guideline Daily Amount (GDAs), showing how much a serving of the food contributes to your daily diet

Back of Pack Nutrition Labelling

We provide nutrition information per 100g on our products

Per serving and adult GDA information are provided on the majority of M&S products and where space permits, we also provide percentage (%) GDAs, showing the contribution that a serving, e.g. per half pack, per pack, of a food makes towards your daily diet.