How to read a ready meal pack, from the name to the use-by date

Half a minute at the chiller is enough to read a ready meal pack, if you know where to look: almost every label puts the same information in roughly the same six places. We read them against Thai rules, since that is where our readers shop; other countries use similar logic with different details.

Where everything sits on the label

The label below is invented: it shows where information usually sits, not what any real product contains.

The weight turns every other number into yours

Thailand's current rules for prepackaged food, Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 450 of 2024, which replaced No. 367, require the quantity in metric units, and solid food by net weight (Thai FDA, Notification No. 450). That figure converts "per 100 g" into what you will eat, and it exposes two packs that look alike but are not.

The first three ingredients tell you what you are buying

Ingredients are usually listed from the largest share to the smallest. Thai rules ask for the percentage by weight of the main ingredients and allow them to be arranged in descending order (Thai FDA, No. 450). In the sample, rice comes first and chicken second: a rice dish with chicken, not chicken with a little rice.

Look inside the brackets too: a sauce or a "seasoning" is often a small recipe of its own. Length proves little, since a long list can simply mean many vegetables and spices. The sample says only "oil"; when a label names the type, our guide to cooking oils explains what that does and does not tell you.

Code numbers are names, not warnings

Additives do a technical job: keep food safe for longer, keep a sauce smooth, add colour or flavour. Regulators approve each for specific uses, and labels usually show a class name followed by a specific name or a number, such as "Colour (150a)" (FSANZ).

Thai labels name the functional class. Preservatives and colours add the specific name or the INS number from the international numbering system; flavour enhancers and sweeteners add the specific name (Thai FDA, No. 450). Monosodium glutamate, for example, is declared as 621 in Australia (FSANZ), and in the EU glutamates carry the E numbers E 620 to E 625 (EFSA).

A number is shorthand for a substance assessed and approved for that use. It is also what lets you spot an additive you prefer to avoid. Two groups get their own articles: MSG and preservatives.

Allergy information: read it every time

Thai rules describe an allergy statement in the form "contains..." or "may contain..." for listed allergens: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, tree nuts, sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more, and shellfish and squid (Thai FDA, No. 450). "Contains" means the allergen is an ingredient. "May contain" means it could reach the food from the production environment.

If you or someone you feed has a food allergy, read the full ingredients list even on a familiar dish, because recipes change; sauces, broths and seasonings can carry soy, wheat, fish or crustaceans. If anything is unclear or missing, ask the seller before eating. More in allergens and cross-contact.

Per pack, per serving or per 100 g: check the basis first

Most nutrition mix-ups start with the basis, and three are in use.

Thailand's standard nutrition panel gives amounts per serving and the number of servings per container; a product that uses 100 g as its serving can declare "per 100 g" instead (Thai FDA, Notification No. 445). The panel lists energy, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, protein, total carbohydrate, total sugars, sodium and potassium, with a percentage of Thai reference daily intakes based on 2,000 kcal. "2 servings per pack" means doubling every figure if you eat it all. More on the bases, and on kcal versus kJ, in nutrition per pack, explained.

Thailand also uses a front-of-pack GDA label, ฉลากหวาน มัน เค็ม ("sweet, fatty, salty"). It shows energy (kcal), sugar (g), fat (g) and sodium (mg) for the whole pack, each as a share of a daily maximum: 2,000 kcal, 65 g sugar, 65 g fat and 2,000 mg sodium. The Thai FDA lists 13 food groups that carry it, including single-dish meals that must be kept chilled or frozen (Thai FDA). Sodium and sugar have their own guides: salt and sodium and added and natural sugar.

Label values are either measured in a laboratory or calculated from the recipe. Both approaches are legitimate, and neither gives the exact figure for every single portion.

Use-by is about safety, best-before about quality

Food should not be eaten or sold after its use-by date (FSANZ), and chilled ready meals typically carry this kind of date. Best-before is about quality: past that date the food may not be at its best, but it can still be eaten.

Thai labels pair the date with ควรบริโภคก่อน (consume before) or หมดอายุ (expiry). The English translation of the Thai rules defines both as the end of a period under stated storage conditions, and sellers may not sell food past either date. When the shelf life is 90 days or less, the label must show day, month and year (Thai FDA, No. 450).

"Keep refrigerated" is part of the date

"Under stated storage conditions" is the clause that matters: the date holds only while the pack is kept as it says. A chilled meal forgotten in a warm car is no longer protected by the date printed on it. The reheating line tells you how to heat the meal safely and evenly without overcooking it. Meals, containers and portions differ, so the pack beats any general rule; how to read reheating instructions takes it line by line.

On our packs: use-by date, reheating, recipe-based numbers

Every meal has a use-by date on the pack, and packs carry reheating instructions. Meals in our machines are chilled, not frozen, so treat that date as a safety limit and keep the meal cold until you eat it. Our machines also have a built-in microwave that heats a meal after purchase.

Calories and macros on our packs are calculated from the recipe (ingredients and weights), not measured in a laboratory; the same per-portion figures appear on each dish card on our site. We don't add MSG (monosodium glutamate) as an ingredient to our recipes, including sauces and broths. We don't add preservatives when cooking and don't use ingredients that contain them. The main ingredients of each dish are described on our menu.

Sous Vide Chicken with Vegetable Sauce & Rice

450 kcal · P 60 · F 3 · C 46

Per pack. Calculated from the recipe, not measured in a lab.

See the full menu →

With a food allergy or intolerance, do not rely on a dish name or a short description. Ask us before you buy: you can reach us on WhatsApp, Telegram or by phone; contacts are in the site footer.

The one-minute check

1. Name and weight: is this the dish and the portion you expect?
2. First three ingredients: what is the meal mostly made of?
3. Allergy information: anything you must avoid? If unsure, ask.
4. Nutrition basis: per pack, per serving or per 100 g?
5. Date mark: use-by or best-before, and is it still ahead of you?
6. Storage and reheating: keep it and heat it as the pack says.

What makes a ready lunch filling and balanced is a separate question, answered in our Real Food principles.