Korean convenience food nutrition label comparison
Convenience food nutrition labels are compared only after the basis amount, the unit and the product match; a blank value is missing data, not zero.
Korea Convenience Food Guide does not publish nutrition values for any product. It explains how the values are recorded so that you can do the arithmetic yourself from your own package.
On this page
Why do convenience food nutrition labels need the same basis amount?
Because each value describes a stated amount of food, and values for different amounts cannot be compared directly.
The MFDS nutrient DB records a “nutrient content basis amount” for each food alongside the values, the serving reference amount and the food weight. A value only has meaning next to its basis.
Converting a value to another amount uses one formula: value at the basis × amount eaten ÷ basis amount. The units of the amount eaten and the basis must be the same.
| Label basis | Value at basis | Amount eaten | Result and formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 200 kcal (example) | 150 g | 300 kcal = 200 × 150 ÷ 100 |
| 100 g | 10 g protein (example) | 50 g | 5 g = 10 × 50 ÷ 100 |
| 100 ml | 40 kcal (example) | 250 g | Not calculated: ml and g do not match |
| 0 g | Any | Any | Not calculated: the basis cannot be zero |
Which units appear on a convenience food nutrition label?
Energy in kcal, most nutrients in g, and sodium and several minerals in mg.
The national integrated nutrient standard data names its columns with units: energy (kcal), protein, fat, carbohydrate and sugars in g, sodium, calcium and iron in mg, and vitamin A in μg RAE. Mixing g and mg in one sum is a common slip.
What does a blank value on a nutrition label or database mean?
It means the value is not provided. Korea Convenience Food Guide never fills it with zero.
A total that quietly treats a blank as zero looks complete but is not. The nutrition sum tool on this site shows a confirmed subtotal and marks the total as incomplete whenever any value is missing.
| What you see | Treated as | Effect on a total |
|---|---|---|
| A printed 0 | Zero, as printed | Added as 0 |
| A blank or dash | Not provided | Excluded; total marked incomplete |
| A value for another basis unit (ml vs g) | Not comparable | Calculation held |
Does a nutrition database record match the convenience food you bought?
Only if the product is confirmed to be the same; a similar name is not enough.
The MFDS nutrient DB includes a product report number and manufacturer for processed foods, and the data portal lists data creation and reference dates. These fields, not the name, are what tie a record to a product.
The DB is not a store inventory. Korea Convenience Food Guide does not attach a DB value to a product unless the match is confirmed.
Are the MFDS nutrient DB and the standard data two separate surveys?
No. The standard data gathers the MFDS database and other national tables, so records can overlap.
The standard data page names the MFDS food nutrient database, the Rural Development Administration national standard food composition table and the fisheries composition table as its sources. Counting both as independent samples would double some foods.
Is a nutrition total a health score?
No. A total is arithmetic on printed values and says nothing about health effects.
Korea Convenience Food Guide makes no health, diet or weight-loss claims, following the line drawn by the food labelling and advertising act.
What can this nutrition label guide not tell you?
It cannot give the values of any product or say how much of anything a person should eat.
What else do people ask about convenience food nutrition label?
How do I compare a 100 g label with a per-pack label?
Convert both to the same amount with value × amount ÷ basis, using the same unit for both.
What unit is sodium in?
Milligrams (mg) in the standard data columns, while most other nutrients are in grams.
A value is blank. Is it zero?
No. A blank means not provided; a printed 0 means zero.
Is a nutrition total a health score?
No. It is arithmetic on printed values only.
Can I convert ml to g?
Not without the density of that food, which labels do not give. This site does not convert between them.
Where does this information come from?
- Food nutrient DB information (Open API)
- National integrated food nutrient standard data May share records with the MFDS nutrient DB, so the two are never counted as separate surveys.
- K-FIND food nutrient database