Nutrition Label Relay: Rank by Sugar

A team relay where each runner grabs a card showing the nutrition label of a common food, and the team must rank the cards by sugar, sodium, or saturated fat. It combines relay running with reading food labels critically.

How to play

1. Setup: five teams of 5 in lines behind a cone; 20 yards away, one hoop per team with 10 face-down cards showing real labels from drinks, cereals, and snacks.
2. Sugar round (5 min): on the signal, the first runner grabs one card and returns; once the team has all of them, they rank them on the ground from most to least sugar per serving.
3. Check: the teacher gives the real order; one point per card in the right spot and two bonus points for spotting which items go over 20% of the Daily Value for added sugar.
4. Sodium and saturated fat rounds (5 min each): same relay with new cards and a new ranking rule.
5. Wrap-up (3 min): each team suggests one healthy swap, like trading soda for water with lemon, and explains it in 30 seconds.

Rules

• Safety: run out on the right and back on the left to avoid collisions.
• Only one card per trip.
• No ranking until the team has every card.
• Nobody judges what classmates eat: we analyze products.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: relay in a wheelchair over a shorter distance or the team's label-reader role.
• Visual impairment: large-print cards and a teammate who reads aloud.
• Lower fitness: a 10-yard course at a brisk walk.

Learning goals

• Interpret the nutrition facts of everyday products.
• Compare foods by sugar, sodium, and saturated fat content.
• Suggest healthy swaps for everyday eating.

Equipment for a class of 25

• label cards: 50
• cones: 5
• hoops: 5

Teacher tip

Make the cards from photos of real labels with brand names covered. Students are often surprised by the sugar in juices and sports drinks: use it to talk about hydration.

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