Nutrition labels have been mandatory on almost all packaged food products in Europe since 2016 (EU Regulation 1169/2011). In theory, it's a transparency tool. In practice, it's full of conventions, numbers, and units of measurement that can be used to confuse rather than inform. Learning to read it correctly requires just a few basic rules, but it radically changes your ability to compare products and make informed choices.

The structure of the European nutrition label

The label must always show: energy value (kcal and kJ), total fat and saturated fat, total carbohydrates and sugars, protein, salt (not sodium: salt is sodium multiplied by 2.5). Optional additions: fiber, vitamins, minerals, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Values are expressed per 100 grams (or 100 ml for liquids), and often also per serving. This distinction is fundamental and frequently exploited by marketing.

The serving size trick: where the deception hides

Companies often declare nutritional values "per serving" using ridiculously small portions. A bag of chips with "50 kcal per serving" where the declared serving is 15 grams (six or seven chips). Who stops at six chips? The 50-gram bag you actually eat is 160 kcal.

Breakfast cereals that boast "high in fiber" declare values for 30 grams, but the average bowl is 60-80 grams. The actual nutritional values of what you consume are double or triple those declared per serving.

Practical rule: always use values per 100 grams when comparing different products. Use per-serving values only when the indicated serving actually matches what you eat in practice.

Reading fats: not all fats are created equal

The label distinguishes between total fat and saturated fat. Saturated fats are those associated with greater cardiovascular risks if consumed in excess (fatty meat, cheese, palm oil, butter). Unsaturated fats (mono and polyunsaturated, like those in olive oil and fish) are beneficial.

A product with 20 grams of total fat but only 2 grams of saturated fat (extra virgin oil) is very different from one with 20 grams of total fat and 15 grams of saturated fat (hydrogenated palm oil). The label separates them: use this information.

Reading sugars: total and added

The European label lists "sugars" as a subcategory of carbohydrates. This entry includes all simple sugars: those naturally present (fructose from fruit, lactose from milk) and those added. It doesn't distinguish between the two, which is a significant limitation.

How to navigate this: for plain yogurt, 5-6 grams of sugars per 100g is natural lactose, which is normal. For fruit yogurt, 12 grams or more indicates added sugars. For a cereal snack, anything above 10 grams of sugar per 100g is high.

Salt: the value often overlooked

Since 2016, Europe has required salt (not sodium) to be declared to make reading more straightforward. One gram of salt contains 400 mg of sodium. The WHO-recommended limit is 5 grams of salt per day.

Many packaged products, even those that seem "healthy" like whole grain crackers, industrial hummus, and pasta sauces, contain 1-1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams. If you eat a generous serving, you easily reach 1-2 grams of salt from that single food.

Reference values (%RV)

Next to nutritional values, you'll often see a %RV column (percentage of reference values). It shows what portion of the recommended daily intake that product covers per serving or per 100g. It's useful for getting a quick sense of how much that product impacts your total daily diet.

How to use the label to compare products

Want to choose the best of two yogurts? Compare per 100g: calories (less is better if taste is equal), sugars (less is better), protein (more is better), saturated fat (less is better). Want to choose between two breakfast cereals? Look at fiber (at least 6g per 100g to be called "high in fiber"), sugars (less than 10g), salt (less than 0.8g).

The three most important numbers to check immediately

If you're short on time, focus on three items per 100 grams: total calories (gives you an idea of the product's energy content), sugars (less than 10g is good, above 15g is high for most foods), salt (less than 0.8g is good, above 1.5g is high). These three data points alone give you a quick assessment of the product and allow for effective comparisons.

Build your personal benchmarks

Take note of the nutritional values of products you eat regularly and consider "good." They become your reference point. Every new product you evaluate, compare it to the ones you already know. Within a few months, you'll have a very precise mental map of what's high or low in sugars, fats, and salt for the food categories you consume.

Don't be fooled by energy in kJ

The label shows energy in both kJ (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories). The international system uses kJ, but in daily life we use kcal (commonly called "calories"). 1 kcal = 4.18 kJ. Ignore the kJ and always look at kcal only for an immediately understandable sense of energy intake.

Use the label to monitor your daily salt intake

Try for one week to add up the salt from all packaged products you eat each day. Add an estimate of salt added while cooking (a pinch = about 0.3-0.5g). Many people discover they consume 10-12 grams of salt daily, double the recommended limit. This exercise is more enlightening than any article on cardiovascular health.