Kiwi shoppers will soon be able to brush up on food facts in a book on sale soon
Kiwi shoppers will soon be able to brush up on food facts in a book on sale soon
KEY POINTS:
It should be goodbye, pork pie, according to New Zealand's newly compiled food guide.
The humble pork pie, all 180g of it, beat the bacon double cheeseburger and eggs benedict into second and third places in the kilojoule stakes in an official food guide launched in Australia thisweek and soon to hit New Zealand shelves.
An impressive 3205kJ is packed into a pork pie, beating the bacon double cheeseburger at 2970kJ and eggs benedict, with two eggs, at 2900kJ.
The kilojoule count in the top three gives a person nearly half their daily energy requirements in one sitting.
Choosing the Right Stuff - The Official Shoppers' Guide to Food Labels, Kilojoules and Fat Content, was developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
A spokeswoman said the book would be launched in New Zealand this month.
The 155-page publication aims to provide a simple guide to understanding food labels, and rates the kilojoule and fat content in 2000 commonly eaten food and drinks.
The seemingly innocuous bran muffin also ranked high on the kilojoule list, coming in at 2310kJ, and a 75g bag of peanuts packed a punch at 2040kJ to beat a medium serving of McDonald's fries (1740kJ).
At the lower end of the scale, a 100g serving of baked beans clocked up just 285kJ.
Senator Brett Mason, Australia's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, said the book would provide a handy guide for people leading busy lives.
"If you are interested in taking control over what you eat, this is a book you need," he said.
Diet-related risk factors, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity in children and adults and type-two diabetes accounted for 13 per cent of Australia and New Zealand's burden of disease.
The book also explains claims such as "low fat" and "reduced salt" on food labels, discusses genetically modified foods and provides a full list of food additives.
