The nutrition declaration: seven values, a fixed order, always per 100
The table on the back of the pack is not free-form. The regulation states which values go in, in what order, and on what basis. Below we explain what the text says.
The legal basis
The rule is Article 30 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. The nutrition declaration became mandatory for most prepacked foods on 13 December 2016.
The seven values, in this order
- energy, in kJ and in kcal
- fat
- of which saturates
- carbohydrate
- of which sugars
- protein
- salt
Saturates and sugars are not separate lines but sub-categories, shown indented under fat and carbohydrate respectively.
Always per 100 g or 100 ml
That is the mandatory basis, and it is what makes two products comparable with each other. The values may additionally be given per portion or per consumption unit, provided the number of portions is stated. The per-portion figure never replaces the per-100 figure.
What may be added voluntarily
Mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates, polyols, starch, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Voluntary information may not take space away from the mandatory information.
The form
The table is given in columns with the numbers aligned, in the order set by Annex XV. Only where space does not permit is a linear format allowed. All elements of the mandatory declaration sit in the same field of vision.
On the front of the pack
Part of the mandatory declaration may be repeated on the front, but only the energy value, or the energy value together with fat, saturates, sugars and salt. Protein is not repeated there.
Reference intake percentages
Where a percentage of the reference intake is given, the regulation requires the statement Reference intake of an average adult (8 400 kJ / 2 000 kcal) to appear near it.
When there is no table at all
Annex V exempts certain categories, among them unprocessed products comprising a single ingredient (fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish), herbs and spices, salt, water, and beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol.
The Nutri-Score and other front-of-pack schemes
Article 35 permits additional forms of expression and presentation of the nutrition declaration, subject to conditions. Schemes such as the Nutri-Score are used voluntarily; none is mandatory across the Union. Its presence or its absence therefore says nothing about whether a product complies.
What the numbers are
They are average values, derived from analysis, from literature, or from calculation of the recipe. They are not a measurement of the individual pack in hand.
If you have a label in front of you and cannot place the entries: VeraRead reads the label and names its fields, based on the official rules, in plain language.