Light, high protein, no added sugar: what label claims legally mean
In the European Union a nutrition claim is only allowed if it appears in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, and each one carries a number. "High in protein" means protein supplies at least 20 percent of the food's energy. "Low fat" means 3 g of fat per 100 g or less. "Light" means at least 30 percent less of something than a comparable product, and the pack must say less of what. Anything outside that list, including artisanal, wholesome, farm fresh and fitness, has no legal definition at all.
Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Only those on the official list.
Marketing, with no threshold.
The regulated claims and their numbers
Thresholds below are for solid foods per 100 g unless stated. Drinks generally use per 100 ml and a stricter bar, because people drink more than they think.
| Claim | Legal threshold |
|---|---|
| Low energy | Not more than 40 kcal per 100 g, or 20 kcal per 100 ml |
| Energy reduced | At least 30 percent less energy than a comparable product |
| Low fat | Not more than 3 g per 100 g, or 1.5 g per 100 ml |
| Fat free | Not more than 0.5 g per 100 g or 100 ml |
| Low saturated fat | Not more than 1.5 g per 100 g, and no more than 10 percent of energy |
| Low sugars | Not more than 5 g per 100 g, or 2.5 g per 100 ml |
| Sugars free | Not more than 0.5 g per 100 g or 100 ml |
| With no added sugars | No added sugars or sweetening foods. If sugars occur naturally, the pack must say so |
| Low sodium or salt | Not more than 0.12 g sodium, which is 0.3 g salt, per 100 g |
| Source of fibre | At least 3 g per 100 g, or 1.5 g per 100 kcal |
| High fibre | At least 6 g per 100 g, or 3 g per 100 kcal |
| Source of protein | Protein supplies at least 12 percent of the food's energy |
| High protein | Protein supplies at least 20 percent of the food's energy |
| Source of a vitamin or mineral | At least 15 percent of the nutrient reference value per 100 g |
| Light or lite | Same rule as reduced, at least 30 percent less, and the pack must state what was reduced |
Four real labels checked against the rules
Doing this yourself takes a calculator and one minute, and it is the fastest way to make label claims stop working on you.
- High fibre, earned. Fiber One chocolate fudge brownies record 24 g of fibre per 100 g. The high-fibre bar is 6 g. At four times the threshold the claim is not close to borderline, and one 25 g brownie still carries about 6 g of fibre, roughly a quarter of a sensible daily target.
- High protein, earned, but not low salt. Chunk chicken breast in water records 12.5 g of protein at 71 kcal per 100 g, so protein carries around 70 percent of the energy, far above the 20 percent bar. The same entry records 411 mg of sodium per 100 g, which is about 1 g of salt, so a low-salt claim would be illegal on the same pack.
- Low fat and low sugars, both legitimate. Carbmaster low-fat vanilla yogurt records 0.9 g of fat and 0.6 g of sugars per 100 g. Both clear their thresholds comfortably. "Sugar free" would not be allowed, because that needs 0.5 g or less.
- What a reference product looks like. Honey mustard dressing records 23.3 g of fat and 16.7 g of sugars per 100 g. A "light" version of this would only need to be 30 percent below it, which would still be a fatty, sugary dressing. Reduced claims are relative, and the reference is usually the full-fat original.
The words with no threshold at all
Artisanal, wholesome, farm fresh, clean, real, goodness, fitness, and most uses of natural carry no numeric definition. Neither does putting protein in a product name, which is why a bar can be called a protein bar while a genuine "high protein" claim on the same pack would require protein to supply a fifth of its energy. Front-of-pack imagery is unregulated in the same way: a field, a farmhouse and a green colour palette are design decisions. This is the mechanism behind the health halo, and the answer is always the back of the pack, read line by line.
Health claims are a separate, stricter list
Nutrition claims describe what is in the food. Health claims describe what it does, and in the EU only claims authorised in the official register may be used, with wording close to the approved text, for example that calcium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. Claims that a food prevents, treats or cures disease are banned outright. In the United States the parallel rules live in 21 CFR part 101, and the Food and Drug Administration updated its definition of the "healthy" claim in 2024 so that it now depends on food-group content and limits on added sugars, saturated fat and sodium.
How to use this in a supermarket
- Read the claim, then find the matching line on the back. High protein, check the protein line and the energy line. Low sugars, check the sugars line against 5 g per 100 g.
- For any reduced or light claim, ask "less than what". The comparison product is usually the ordinary version sitting next to it.
- Ignore any word that is not on the list above. It carries no obligation, so it carries no information.
Bottom line
Every legal claim on a European pack maps to a number you can verify from the panel in under a minute. High protein is 20 percent of energy, low fat is 3 g per 100 g, low salt is 0.3 g per 100 g, and light means 30 percent less than something the pack must name. Everything else on the front is decoration.
Sources
Common questions
What does high protein legally mean in the EU?
That protein supplies at least 20 percent of the food's total energy. A source of protein claim needs at least 12 percent. The threshold is about the share of energy, not the grams per pack.
What does low fat mean on a label?
Not more than 3 g of fat per 100 g for solid foods, or 1.5 g per 100 ml for liquids. Fat free requires 0.5 g or less per 100 g.
Does light or lite mean low calorie?
No. Light means at least 30 percent less of a named nutrient than a comparable product, and the pack must say which nutrient was reduced. A light version of a fatty product can still be high in fat.
Are words like artisanal or wholesome regulated?
No. Only the claims listed in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 carry legal thresholds. Descriptive marketing words carry no obligation and no defined meaning.