Eufic's interactive fridge: your guide to food labelling

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Greek yoghurt

Dive deeper into the product's label by clicking on the different elements in the image. Don't forget to use the arrows to rotate the package.

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Nutrition claims

Nutrition claims highlight that a food has a particular beneficial nutritional property, for example is high or low in energy or a particular nutrient. You'll recognise them, for example, by 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. However, be careful: a nutrition claim doesn’t necessarily make a product healthy. For example, a food which is high in fat, salt and/or sugar can still use claims such as 'source of calcium'. Products with the claim 'source of protein' have at least 12% of the energy coming from protein and products with the claim 'source of calcium' contain at least 15% of the nutrient reference value per 100 g or ml (for solid foods) or 7.5% per 100 ml (for beverages).

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Net quantity

This is the net quantity (or the number of pieces in the packaging, if easy to count). Liquids are expressed in millilitres (mL) or litres (L). Solids are expressed in grams (g) or kilograms (kg). The symbol ℮ means 'estimated', in other words: the content is about 400 grams.

Health claims highlight that a food or one of its components has a relationship with health. They can only be made when the product has a nutrition claim 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. The European Food Safety Authority approves all health claims in the EU and oversees that they're scientifically grounded.

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Health claims

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Greek yoghurt

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Nutrition declaration

The nutrition declaration informs us about the nutrients in the product. It shows the energy value (in kJ or kcal), amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, (total) sugars, protein, and salt per 100 grams or millilitres of product. Often the amount of fibre or the amount of nutrients per portion is also shown, but this is optional by the manufacturers. The nutrition declaration is a helpful tool to identify whether a product is high in fat, salt, and/or sugar. Look at the amount per 100 g or ml when comparing products. It's recommended to limit our intake of fat (<17.5 g /100 g), saturated fat (<5 g/100 g), sugars (<22.5 g/100 g), and salt (<1.5 g/100 g) to reduce our chronic disease risk.

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Greek yoghurt

Dive deeper into the product's label by clicking on the different elements in the image. Don't forget to use the arrows to rotate the package.

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Ingredient list

In the EU, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. Knowing this can help you figure out a few things. For example, on this yoghurt label, sugar is the third ingredient after strawberry puree. This means the product contains less sugar than strawberry. The label also specifies the percentage of strawberry puree, allowing us to conclude that added sugar makes up less than 8% of the total product. That is, per 100 g of yoghurt, there will be 8 g of added sugar or less. Checking the nutrition declaration further clarifies the sugar content. Any difference between added sugars and total sugars represents naturally occurring sugars in milk!

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Quantity of certain ingredients

Sometimes the ingredient list will show a percentage after listing an ingredient. Why is this you might ask? The EU law makes it mandatory in some cases so a producer can't imply a product has a certain ingredient in big quantities without telling you exactly how much it actually has! For example, when the ingredient appears in the name of the food or is usually associated with that name or is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures, or graphics. In this yoghurt, 'Strawberry Puree' is quantified because the packaging shows pictures of strawberries and it's in the product's name.

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Allergen information

The reason milk is bolded in the list of ingredients is that, in the EU, it's mandatory for the most common 14 allergens (milk being one of them!) to be clearly displayed in the list of ingredients. You will see them bolded, in italics, in CAPITAL letters, or underlined. As long as they are highlighted, it's up to the producer to decide how to! When a food might unintentionally contain traces of an allergen, a precautionary label may also be included: - May contain - Made in a facility that processes Such a label is often used due to the realities of food production where it's not possible to avoid unintended presence of allergens.

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Storage conditions

This tells you the best way to store the product (including how to store it after opening the package). Always set your fridge to maximum 4°C so your products will keep longer. Also, the place where you put your foods matters! The middle and top shelves are best for yoghurts, ready-to-eat foods, cheese, cooked meats, and leftovers. Some other tips to keep your food fresh for longer: - Avoid packing too much in your fridge so that air can circulate. - Cool and place foods in the fridge within 2 hours. - Clean the fridge frequently and store foods wrapped or in covered containers.

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Manufacturer/importer

The name and address of the manufacturer or importer are always mentioned on the packaging. So you know who to contact if you have a complaint or want more information 😉.

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EU oval

This EU oval is mandatory to display for food manufacturers who use animal products such as meat, fish, dairy or eggs. It identifies the processing establishment that produced and packaged the product and that it's therefore responsible for its hygiene status. The label shows: - The name of the country in which the product was processed (commonly displayed as a 2 country code) - The national approval number of the facility where the food was processed (country-specific) - The letters EC for European Community or their equivalents in other EU languages (but only if the source materials were produced in/imported from another EC member state).

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Country of origin

Sometimes a country of origin is shown on the product label when omitting it might mislead consumers. Origin labelling is mandatory for fresh, chilled and frozen meat of goats, poultry and specific products like honey, fruits and vegetables, fish, beef, and olive oil. Saw something missing in the list? Exactly! it's not mandatory to indicate the country of origin in dairy, so you might find it specified in some milks but not in others.

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Greek yoghurt

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Date marking

Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, avoid unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them correctly? 'Use by' labels indicate the date until when the food can be eaten safely. Foods should be eaten before the expiration of this date. Follow the storage instructions as indicated on the packaging; if not the food will spoil quicker and you may risk food poisoning. In this case, you can safely eat this yoghurt up to (including) 15 October. What about the 'best before' label? Go check the eggs or cheese to find out!

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Whole wheat pasta

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Food products can carry a host of different fancy claims on them. But be careful. Not all are regulated and many popular ones, such as 'artisanal,' 'fresh,' or 'traditional' actually don't mean anything! For example, 'artisanal' can be used regardless of the actual process used to make the pasta. The product might be produced in a large factory using automated machinery, and not hand-made in small batches as the term might imply. The term 'fresh' might make you think that the product was recently made, especially since you find products with this claim in the fridge, but it could've been made weeks ago and treated with preservatives or modified atmosphere packaging to extend its shelf life.

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Name of the food

Nutrition claims highlight that a food has a particular beneficial nutritional property, for example is high or low in energy or a particular nutrient. You'll recognise them, for example, by 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. However, be careful: a nutrition claim doesn’t necessarily make a product healthy. For example, a food which is high in fat, salt and/or sugar can still use claims such as 'high in fibre'. Products with the claim 'source of fibre' have at least 3 g of fibre per 100 g or 1.5 g per 100 kcal. Products with the claim 'high in fibre' have at least 6 g of fibre per 100 g or 3 g per 100 kcal.

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Nutrition claims

This is the net quantity (or the number of pieces in the packaging, if they are easy to count). Liquids are expressed in millilitres (mL) or litres (L). Solids are expressed in grams (g) or kilograms (kg). The symbol ℮ means 'estimated', in other words: the content is about 250 grams.

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Net quantity

Whole wheat pasta

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To know whether a product contains whole grains, check the ingredients list for the words ‘whole’ or ‘wholegrain’ before the name of the cereal. As ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, if whole grains are the first or second ingredient, after water, the food is generally considered whole grain. Another practical rule is to look at the nutrition declaration: for every 10 g of carbohydrates there should be at least one gram of fibre to consider it whole grain.

Ingredient list

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It's mandatory to label common allergens on food products. Wheat is one of them. This product is not suitable for people with coeliac disease, a gluten-sensitivity, or other gluten-related disorders. Allergens must be clearly displayed and highlighted in the list of ingredients (e.g., in bold, italic, CAPITAL, or underlined). When a food might unintentionally contain traces of an allergen, a precautionary label may be used: - May contain - Made in a facility that processes In this case, people with a severe egg, soya or mustard allergy should also avoid the product as due to the realities of food production it's sometimes not possible to avoid unintended presence of allergens.

Allergen information

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Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, avoid unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them correctly? 'Use by' labels indicate the date until when the food can be eaten safely. Foods should be eaten before the expiration of this date. Follow the storage instructions as indicated on the packaging; if not the food will spoil quicker and you may risk food poisoning. In this case, you can safely eat this pasta up to (including) 12 October. What about the 'best before' label? Go check the eggs or cheese to find out!

Date marking

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Whole wheat pasta

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The nutrition declaration informs us about the nutrients in the product. It shows the energy value (in kJ or kcal), amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, (total) sugars, protein, and salt per 100 grams or millilitres of product. Often the amount of fibre or the amount of nutrients per portion is also shown, but this is optional by the manufacturers. The nutrition declaration is a helpful tool to identify whether a product is high in fat, salt, and/or sugar. Look at the amount per 100 g or ml when comparing products.It's recommended to limit our intake of fat (<17.5 g /100 g), saturated fat (<5 g/100 g), sugars (<22.5 g/100 g), and salt (<1.5 g/100 g) to reduce our chronic disease risk.

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Nutrition declaration

Whole wheat pasta

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The name and address of the manufacturer or importer are always mentioned on the packaging. So you know who to contact if you have a complaint or want more information 😉.

Manufacturer/importer

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Eggs

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Among the few products that don't require an ingredient list are those consisting of a single ingredient, as long as the name of the food is identical to the ingredient name or allows for it to be clearly identified. In this case, the name of the product has "Eggs" in it, so there is no need to add an ingredient list in the package. On top of that, you might see the words ‘extra’ or ‘extra fresh’ when shopping for eggs. Their presence means that the eggs will only be sold until 9 days after they have been laid, instead of the usual 28 days. They are, indeed, extra fresh 😉.

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Name of the food

Eggs can be labelled as ‘free-range eggs’, ‘barn eggs’ or ‘eggs from caged hens’. Each of these is linked to the first number in the egg code: - 1 for free-range, - 2 for barn eggs, and - 3 for caged hens In this case, free-range means that the hens that laid the eggs had continuous daytime access to open-air runs (although farmers may sometimes restrict access in the mornings) that are mainly covered with vegetation and not used for other purposes other than orchards, woodland, and livestock grazing. They also get extra space, at a minimum of 4 m2 per hen.

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Production claim

Caliber refers to the weight of the product. In the case of eggs, they are graded in the following categories: - XL: more than 72 g. - L: 63-72 g. - M: 53-62 g. - S: less than 53 g. When shopping for eggs, you can find cartons where the calibre of all the eggs is the same, or cartons with mixed calibres. In this example, the calibre of the eggs is mixed, but the carton will also tell you how many grams you are getting, minimum. If this carton is minimum 320 gr and has 6 eggs, that means that you could get, for example, four S eggs and two XL, or three L eggs and two M eggs. The combinations are endless (kind of)!

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Net quantity

Quality A eggs are those graded of higher quality and sold to the final consumers. There is also Quality B, considered of inferior quality, which goes to the food industry or non-food industries.

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Quality label

Nutrition claims highlight that a food has a particular beneficial nutritional property, for example is high or low in energy or a particular nutrient. You can recognise when you see 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. However, be careful: a nutrition claim doesn’t necessarily make a product healthy. For example, a food which is high in fat, salt and/or sugar can still use claims such as 'source of vitamin D'. Eggs are sometimes labelled 'source/high in vitamin D', meaning the hens were fed a diet rich in vitamin D. For example, if you buy small eggs, which weigh around 50 g, eating two (100 g) would give you 15% (if 'source of') or 30% (if 'high in') of the vitamin D daily reference values.

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Nutrition claims

Eggs

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Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, reduce unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them? 'Best before' dates indicate the date until when the food retains its expected quality. Food is still safe to eat after the indicated date, but it might lose its flavour and texture. When it comes to eggs, the date you see on the package is maximum 28 days after the egg was laid. If you choose to use eggs after the best before date has passed, make sure that they look and smell normal (odourless), and use them in dishes where they will be thoroughly cooked. Extending the storage time can increase the risk of food poisoning!

Date marking

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When present, this stamp tells you where the egg was produced, i.e., where the chicken laid the egg. Since the country of production will also be mentioned in the code on the egg, it's not mandatory for companies to include this stamp.

Country of origin

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The name and address of the manufacturer or importer are always mentioned on the packaging. So you know who to contact if you have a complaint or want more information 😉. Sometimes the producer is the one distributing and commercialising the product, but it can also be that a company specialises only on the commercial part, or that they import the eggs from another country/continent. If you want to know where the egg was actually produced, you can look for the "Produced in XX" stamp (not always present since it's not mandatory) or check the second part of the code in the egg!

Manufacturer/importer

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Egg

egg

The egg code contains 3 sections: - First number: either 0,1,2,3. 0: Eggs from hens raised to organic standards, with access to open-air runs, organic feed, and no antibiotics or hormones. 1: Eggs from hens with access to open-air runs for at least part of the day. Minimum: 4 m2 of open-air space per hen. 2: Eggs from hens housed in barns, without access to open-air runs. Minimum: 1.1 m2 per hen. 3: Eggs from hens in enriched cages. Minimum: 750 cm2 cage area per hen. - Letter code: tells you the country of origin. - Final number set: this tells the specific farm where the egg was produced. If you buy your eggs directly from a producer, this code should always be the same!

Egg code

egg

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Parmesan cheese

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Products with a PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) label have strict rules when it comes to allowed production areas. In the case of Parmigiano Reggiano, all products carrying the name have to be produced (both the milk and the cheese itself) in an specific region of Italy. So even if you don't find a "Produced in Italy" message on the package, you can be sure of its origin!

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Country of origin

The PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label protects the reputation and quality of traditional regional foods and prevents imitation products. It ensures that every part of the production, processing and preparation of the product has taken place in an specific geographical area using traditional methods. Each PDO product has different regulations, but the main ones for Parmigiano are: - The cows must eat grass and cereals from the allowed production area, - The cheese must be matured for at least 12 months in the allowed production area, - The only ingredients must be raw milk, salt and rennet, and - Both the rearing facilities and the cheese producers must be in the allowed area.

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PDO label

Parmigiano needs to be matured for at least 12 months, but it can go beyond 48 months! Different lengths of maturation will mean different textures, flavours, and aromas in the cheese. Try buying pieces with different maturation lengths to decide which one you prefer!

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Maturation

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Net quantity

Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, reduce unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them correctly? 'Best before' dates indicate the date until when the food retains its expected quality. Food is still safe to eat after the indicated date, but it might lose its flavour and texture. The aging process of Parmigiano means it can often be safely consumed past the best before date, as long as it has been properly stored (follow the instructions on the packaging). What about the 'use by' label? Go check the yoghurt to find out!

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Date marking

Parmesan cheese

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The nutrition declaration informs us about the nutrients in the product. It shows the energy value (in kJ or kcal), amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, (total) sugars, protein, and salt per 100 grams or millilitres of product. Often the amount of fibre or the amount of nutrients per portion is also shown, but this is optional by the manufacturers. Beware! The more the Parmigiano has been matured, the higher the concentration of nutrients (including salt and saturated fat) per 100 g, as the cheese keeps losing water during maturation is. Click on months of maturation section to learn more about it!

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Nutrition declaration

Production of Parmigiano Reggiano is highly regulated, and the ingredients will always be only raw milk, salt, and rennet. No food additives are allowed.

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Ingredient list

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Allergen information

The name and address of the manufacturer or importer are always mentioned on the packaging. So you know who to contact if you have a complaint or want more information 😉. In this case, although the producer of the cheese is in Italy, the address you will find here is the importer in the country where its being distributed.

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Manufacturer/importer

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EU oval

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Smoked salmon

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In the EU, the fish' origin and whether it was caught in the wild or farmed should always be indicated. Unfortunately, not everyone respects the legislation. If you don't see the information displayed, don't hesitate to ask the seller! For farmed fish, the country where most of the farming took place must be stated. The type of aquaculture system used may also be stated voluntary. For wild caught fish, the fishing method and area needs to be specified, the latter by naming the sea/body of fresh water, or by the FAO area code (e.g., the Mediterranean and Black Sea are area 37). The date of fishing and the vessel's flag state may be stated voluntary.

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Production claim

This tells you the best way to store the product (including how to store it after opening the package). Ready for consumption means that the fish can be consumed raw, without prior cooking required.

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Storage conditions

If the fish product has been previously frozen and defrosted, this must be indicated (with some exceptions, such as when the product has been defrosted prior to further treatment, such as smoking). In this case, the company explicitly states that they used fresh salmon, not frozen, for the smoking process. This information is provided because it's not compulsory to inform the consumer when the salmon has been smoked. Without this statement, you would not know whether the salmon that was smoked was fresh or had been previously frozen and defrosted.

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Fresh or frozen?

Nutrition claims highlight that a food has a particular beneficial nutritional property, for example is high or low in energy or a particular nutrient. You'll recognise them, for example, by 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. However, be careful: a nutrition claim doesn’t necessarily make a product healthy. For example, a food which is high in fat, salt and/or sugar can still use claims such as 'source of calcium'. Products with the claim ‘high in omega-3 fatty acids’ have at least 0.6 g alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per 100g and per 100 kcal, or at least 80 mg of the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per 100 g and per 100 kcal.

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Nutrition claims

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. Ingredients present in a high quantity appear near the beginning of the list and those present in a smaller quantity appear near the end of the list. Fish labels should indicate both the commercial and the scientific name. Why? Because within the same country (and sometimes even region), the same fish might be known by different names, so having the scientific name can help you recognize the fish. In this case, for example, what you consider "salmon" might actually be two different species! So the label should clearly indicate the species of salmon, such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) or Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.).

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Ingredient list

The EU organic regulations cover aquaculture, treating it as a form of animal farming. These standards are promoted through certification and labelling schemes, which ensure that certified organic aquaculture adheres to stricter environmental and animal welfare requirements, as well as limits on the use of inputs like medications and chemicals. For example, certified organic fish must be fed with feed sourced from sustainably exploited fisheries or organic agricultural ingredients. Producers must also prioritize the continuing health and quality of the surrounding aquatic environments, helping avoid endangering species of conservation interest that could be impacted by intensive or unsustainable farming practices.

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EU organic label

This is the net quantity or the number of pieces in the packaging, if easy to count. Liquids are expressed in millilitres (mL) or litres (L). Solids are expressed in grams (g) or kilograms (kg). The symbol ℮ means 'estimated,' in other words: the content is about 250 grams.

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Net quantity

Smoked salmon

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The nutrition declaration informs us about the nutrients in the product. Mandatory elements include the energy value (in kJ and kcal), as well as the amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt. Manufacturers may also choose to include details on fibre, and other nutrients. In this case, for example, the nutrition declaration not only shows the saturated fat content, but also the amount of omega 3 and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. To learn more about the different types of fats, check out this infographic. The nutrition declaration is a helpful tool to identify whether a product is high in fat, salt, and/or sugar.

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Nutrition declaration

The name and address of the manufacturer or importer are always mentioned on the packaging so you know who to contact if you have a complaint or want more information 😉. In this case, for example, the fish is produced in Norway, but smoked and commercialised in Belgium.

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Manufacturer/importer

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EU oval

Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, reduce unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them correctly? 'Use by' labels indicate the date until when the food can be eaten safely. Foods should be eaten before the expiration of this date. Follow the storage instructions as indicated on the packaging; if not the food will spoil quicker and you may risk food poisoning. In this case, you can safely eat this salmon up to (including) 10 October. What about the 'best before' label? Go check the eggs or cheese to find out!

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Date marking

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Ready-meal

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Understanding date labels can help us avoid getting food poisoning, reduce unnecessary food waste, and save money. But how to interpret them correctly? 'Use by' labels indicate the date until when the food can be eaten safely. Foods should be eaten before the expiration of this date. Follow the storage instructions as indicated on the packaging; if not the food will spoil quicker and you may risk food poisoning. In this case, you can safely eat this ready meal up to (including) 10 October. What about the 'best before' label? Go check the eggs or cheese to find out!

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Date marking

The Nutri-Score is used in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Portugal. Nutri-Score is a five-colour front-of-pack nutritional label used to help compare the nutritional composition of food products within the same food group. A/B depicts products with a higher nutritional quality, while D/E depicts products with a lower nutritional quality. The general algorithm allocates 'negative points' to sugars, saturated fats, salt and calories and 'positive points' to protein, fibre, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. This product has a Nutri-Score B. Keep in mind that you can only use the score to compare it with other ready-meals. It also doesn't consider portion size and it looks at the product's overall composition instead of individual ingredients.

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Nutri-Score

The Vegan label is a registered symbol for labelling products with no ingredients of animal origin at any stage of production (including food additives and substances used during processing). Anyone following a vegetarian or vegan diet can enjoy these products with peace of mind 😉.

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Vegan label

The Traffic Light scheme is used in the United Kingdom. The Reference Intake Label or the Traffic Light scheme (with colour-indicators for the different nutrients) provides nutrition information on a per portion basis, so you can directly see the amount of energy or nutrients contained in the portion you are eating or drinking, instead of e.g. 100 grams. The numbers are based on an average adult woman, but always remember that your real needs will vary depending on age, gender, build, lifestyle, and activity level. Here you can easily see, for example, that one portion is very high in salt (salt is coloured red). The Reference Intake are maximum recommendations for fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt: you should not aim to hit 100% of these values on a day. This is not a competition.

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Traffic Light scheme

Ready-meal

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You might have heard that a long ingredient list means that a product is 'unhealthy' or heavily processed, but this is not always true. A product might just have a large variety of added vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, or herbs and spices. Instead, pay attention to the order of ingredients (remember, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight!) and check the nutrition declaration to see whether the product is high in fat, sugar, or salt. What about E-numbers? They refer to additives, substances added for specific purposes. They might also be listed under their common name. For example, the E 300 in this list could be also written as 'ascorbic acid' or 'vitamin C'.

Ingredient list

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Ready-meal

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The nutrition declaration informs us about the nutrients in the product. It shows the energy value (in kJ or kcal), amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, (total) sugars, protein, and salt per 100 grams or millilitres of product. Often the amount of fibre or the amount of nutrients per portion is also shown, but this is optional. The nutrition declaration is a helpful tool to identify whether a product is high in fat, salt, and/or sugar. This ready-meal is high in fibre but also very high in salt. Take another look at the numbers. Although it may not look like much salt per 100 g, a serving (380 g) contains almost 50% of our maximum recommended daily salt intake (5 g per day).

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Nutrition declaration

Ready-meal

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If a product requires special handling or preparation (think: 'heat before eating' or 'shake well before use'), this section will give you the low-down. Not every food needs it, but when it's important, it helps you use the product safely and get the best results. After all, no one wants undercooked meals or a messy kitchen mishap, right?

Instructions of use

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Protective atmosphere packaging, also called Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), is a method for extending the shelf life of food. Air inside a package is substituted by a protective gas mix, often including oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen - gases that are also present in the air we breathe.

Protected atmosphere

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Are you a food labelling expert? Prove it by taking our quiz, using the products in this fridge as your guide. There is a special prize waiting for you at the end if you manage to get all the questions correct!

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Question 1/15

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On labels, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. Ingredients present near the beginning of the list are present in higher quantities and those present near the end of the list are present in smaller quantities. Strawberry puree is listed before sugar in the list, which means there is more of it than sugar!

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Health claims highlight that a food or one of its components has a relationship with health. They can only be made when the product has the nutrition claim 'source of' or 'high/rich in'. The European Food Safety Authority approves all health claims in the EU and oversees that they're scientifically grounded. However, health claims don't take into account the overall nutritional quality of the product. Even if it's high in fat, salt and/or sugar, it can still make a health claim about it's calcium content.

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Whenever an ingredient is emphasised on a food package, the exact percentage present should be included in the ingredient list. This includes being mentioned in the title or other text and in any kind of visual.

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Additives can be listed as E-numbers or under their common name. E 300 is then 'ascorbic acid' or 'vitamin C'. Similarly 'Caramelised Sugar Syrup' is the common name for E 150: caramel colour.

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Allergens must be clearly displayed and highlighted in the ingredient list. This can be in bold, italic, capital or underlined. EU legislation requires labelling of 14 substances that are responsible for the majority of allergic reactions: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin, and molluscs.

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This ready-meal is very high in salt. Although it may not look like much salt per 100 g, a serving (380 g) contains almost 50% of the maximum recommended daily salt intake (5 g per day).

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A Nutri-Score A/B is given to products with a higher nutritional quality, but keep in mind that this can only be used to compare the products within the same category. How is the Nutri-Score calculated? The algorithm allocates 'negative points' to sugars, saturated fats, salt and calories and 'positive points' to protein, fibre, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The total negative points are weighed up against the positive points to arrive at a final score.

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Some claims are regulated, but many commonly used ones are not. If the package says 'artisanal,' 'fresh,' or 'natural' on the packaging, it doesn't mean anything specific. For example, artisanal can be used by any manufacturer regardless of the actual process used to make the pasta. It might be produced in a large factory using automated machinery, rather than being handmade in small batches as the term might imply.

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To know whether a product is whole grain, check the ingredients list for the words ‘whole’ or ‘wholegrain’ before the name of the cereal present. For example, ‘whole wheat pasta’ or ‘whole oats’. If whole grains are the first or second ingredient, after water, the food is generally considered whole grain. Another practical rule is to look at the nutrition declaration on the food product: for every 10 g of carbohydrate there should be at least one gram of fibre. For example, if a pasta has 45 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, it should contain at least 4.5 g of fibre per 100 g.

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In eggs, two common nutrition claims you will find are 'source/high in vitamin D' and 'source/high in omega-3'. In both cases, it means the hens were fed a diet rich in either vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids, and 100 grams of eggs will give you either 15% (if the words are 'source of') or 30% (if the words are 'high in') of the daily recommended intake of that specific nutrient.

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The first number in the code of an egg (either 0,1,2,3) tells you the farming method used. The The codes are: 0 – Organic 1 – Free range 2 – Barn 3 – CagedIn this case, the number is a 1, so the hen was reared free-range!

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In the case of Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan), all products carrying the name have to be produced (both the milk and the cheese itself) in an specific region of Italy. So even if you don't find a 'Produced in Italy' message in the package, you can be sure of its origin!

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In the case of parmigiano Reggiano, there are 4 main requisites for a cheese to be able to be labelled as such: the cows must eat grass and cereals from the allowed production area, the cheese must be matured at least 12 months in the allowed production area, the only ingredients must be raw milk, salt and rennet, and both the rearing facilities and the cheese producers must be in the allowed area.

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Fish can be labelled as organic when it's farmed, as EU legislation and policies for organic production also apply to aquaculture, which is considered animal rearing. Certified organic fish must be raised without synthetic chemicals, GMOs, or artificial colourings, and it complies with stricter production requirements on environmental impact and animal welfare.

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A 'use by' date marking is found on highly perishable products such as fresh meat, fish, dairy products, fruit juices, and other chilled ready-to-eat foods. A 'use by' date refers to food safety, foods should not be eaten after that date. In contrast, foods with a 'best before' date such as pasta, rice, dried pulses, tinned fruits and vegetables, vegetable oils and many more. These foods can often be eaten after that date since it refers to food quality.

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