TutorForAll

Agriculture and Food 7–12 · Years 9–10

Calculating the energy on a nutrition information panel

Food Selection and Health

Calculation and dataLow risk

This site has no interactive model of its own. Where a step or a material names a Concept Studio model, simulation or tool, it has not been built; an external simulation a step names (for example PhET) is not part of this site.

The idea

The energy on a nutrition information panel is calculated, not burned: each gram of protein, fat, carbohydrate and dietary fibre is multiplied by a fixed energy factor and the results are added.

What you need

  • nutrition information panels from five packaged foods
  • the recipe of a product the class has developed
  • calculator or spreadsheet
  • access to the FSANZ Nutrition Panel Calculator

How to do it

  1. Read protein, fat, carbohydrate and dietary fibre per 100 g from each panel.
  2. Calculate energy per 100 g with the energy factors and compare it with the printed energy.
  3. Explain any difference by rounding or by components with their own factors, such as alcohol or sugar alcohols.
  4. Enter the class product's recipe into the FSANZ Nutrition Panel Calculator, then check its energy figure by hand.
  5. Calculate the percentage of energy that comes from fat, protein and carbohydrate for each food.

What you should see

For 10 g protein, 5 g fat, 60 g carbohydrate and 3 g dietary fibre per 100 g, the energy is 170 + 185 + 1020 + 24 = 1399 kJ per 100 g, with 13.2% of the energy from fat. For most packaged foods the hand calculation matches the printed value closely; larger gaps point to rounding or to components that have their own factors in Schedule 11. The learner knows it worked when the hand calculation for the class product agrees with the FSANZ calculator.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

  • The energy on the label was measured by burning the food.
  • Dietary fibre provides no energy.
  • Fat and carbohydrate supply the same energy per gram.

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

  • none beyond normal classroom work

Controls

  • no food is prepared or eaten in this activity

Note

No chemicals, heat or food handling.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

  • Food Technology Years 7–10 Syllabus (2019)FT5-6FT5-8
  • Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025), new syllabus, implementation from 2028FT5-NSA-01
  • Australian Curriculum v9No Australian Curriculum v9 code is listed.

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

  1. www.legislation.gov.au/F2015L00481/latest/text
  2. www.fao.org/4/y5022e/y5022e04.htm
  3. www.foodstandards.gov.au/business/labelling/nutrition-panel-calculator
  4. www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/food-technology-7-10-2019
  5. www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-09/food-technology-years-7-10-syllabus-2019.docx
  6. curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/tas/food-technology-7-10-2025/outcomes

All Concept Studio activities