Two bags, side by side, and no way to compare them. One declares 3 pieces, the other 6 pieces and a sauce packet. Both sets of numbers are honest. Neither is comparable.
The range of declared serving sizes across 20 frozen siu mai products we measured. A sixfold spread — and every number on a panel refers to that serving.
1 · Serving size first, calories never
- It sits at the top of the panel. Everything below it is meaningless without it.
- Servings ranged 23 g to 150 g in our survey — and 1 piece to 10.
- A small declared serving makes every number look small, sodium included. That can read as restraint. Usually it is arithmetic.
- Watch for sauce. One product declares “6 pieces with 1 tbsp sauce” and shows 760 mg sodium. Much of that is the sauce.
2 · The one calculation
Ten seconds, and the two packs become comparable.
Worked example. 13 g protein in a 78 g serving → 13 ÷ 78 × 100 = 16.7 g per 100 g.
| Panel says | Serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| 13 g protein | 78 g | 16.7 g |
| 13 g protein | 141 g | 9.2 g |
| 15 g protein | 140 g | 10.7 g |
| 3 g protein | 23 g | 13.0 g |
- Two packs both say 13 g. One is nearly twice as dense.
- The pack showing the smallest number — 3 g — beats two of the others.
3 · Cooked, or raw?
- “Fully cooked” / “pre-cooked” / “heat and serve” → you are reheating.
- An internal temperature — usually 74 °C / 165 °F → you are cooking from raw.
- Neither stated → more common than it should be. Assume raw.
4 · The fibre line
- It sits under carbohydrate and it is the line almost nobody reads.
- 6 of 20 products declared zero.
- Highest verified anywhere: 3.3 g per 100 g.
- Why: a wheat wrapper contributes almost none, meat contributes none. Unless fibre was formulated in deliberately, there is none.
5 · The symbol on the front
- Mandatory in Canada since 1 January 2026 — a black-and-white magnifying glass.
- Triggers at 15% Daily Value per serving. For sodium that is 345 mg.
- 17 of the 20 products we measured would carry it.
- Category median: 493 mg per 100 g. Range 248–850 — more than threefold, same shelf.
The 30-second checklist
- Serving size and piece count. Everything depends on it.
- Divide, multiply by 100. Now they are comparable.
- Cooked or raw? A temperature means raw.
- Fibre line. Usually near zero. Worth noticing when it is not.
- Front-of-pack symbol. Tells you something before you read anything.
For buyers
Nourvo is available for wholesale, foodservice and distribution in British Columbia.
Wholesale & foodserviceSend a trade enquiry → Or email directinfo@nourvo.caNourvo figures are the current formulation specification. First commercial run August 2026; third-party laboratory analysis is commissioned ahead of first label print. Category figures are read from published Nutrition Facts panels and are sourced on the full comparison.