How to read a nutrition label in 60 seconds

To read a nutrition label in 60 seconds, check the serving size, then compare products per 100 g. Look at sugars, saturated fat and salt first: per 100 g, more than 22.5 g of sugars, 5 g of saturated fat or 1.5 g of salt is high. On US labels, 5% Daily Value is low and 20% is high. Finish with the first three ingredients.

The 60-second routine

1. Serving size: note what one serving is and how many servings the pack holds.
2. Per 100 g column: use it to compare two products fairly, whatever their pack size.
3. Sugars, saturated fat, salt: these are the numbers most worth limiting. Check them against the thresholds below.
4. Fiber and protein: more is usually better, especially in cereals, breads and snacks.
5. Ingredient list: read the first three ingredients and scan for added sugars and additives.

With a little practice this takes less than a minute per product, and you only need to do it once for the foods you buy every week.

Per 100 g vs per serving: which one to use?

In the EU and UK, nutrition values are given per 100 g or 100 ml, sometimes with an extra per-portion column. In the US, the Nutrition Facts label is built around one serving. Both are useful, for different jobs.

• Per 100 g is best for comparing: two granolas, two sauces or two yogurts side by side.
• Per serving shows what you actually eat, but only if your portion matches the one on the label. A serving size is not a recommendation, and it is often smaller than what people really eat.

If you eat two servings, double every number, including the calories and the %Daily Value. Some US packs that could be eaten in one or several sittings show a dual column, per serving and per package, which makes this easier.

How much sugar per 100 g is high? Traffic light labels explained

In the UK, many packs carry front-of-pack traffic light labels: green for low, amber for medium and red for high. The NHS publishes the per-100 g thresholds behind them, and they work as a handy rule of thumb on any label, anywhere.

A product with mostly green and amber is a better everyday choice than one with several reds. Red does not mean "never": a red for fat on a pack of nuts or olive oil tells a different story than a red for sugar on a soft drink. For more on the numbers behind sugar and salt, see how much sugar per day is too much and how much salt per day.

Reference intakes on EU and UK labels

European labels may also show a percentage of the reference intake (RI) for an average adult. The reference values are 8,400 kJ or 2,000 kcal of energy, 70 g fat, 20 g saturates, 260 g carbohydrate, 90 g sugars, 50 g protein and 6 g salt. Note that the 90 g sugars reference covers total sugars, including those naturally found in milk and fruit, and is not a target for added sugar.

Nutrition facts explained: the US %Daily Value

On the US Nutrition Facts label, the %Daily Value (%DV) shows how much one serving contributes to a day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. The FDA gives a simple rule: 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is low, and 20% DV or more is high.

• Aim low for saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
• Aim high for dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.
• Added sugars have their own line. The Daily Value is 50 g, so a serving with 10 g of added sugars is already 20% DV.

Read the ingredient list, not just the numbers

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, so the first ingredient is the largest. If sugar, or one of its many other names, appears in the first two or three places, sugar is a major part of the product. In the EU and UK, allergens are also emphasized in the list, usually in bold.

The list is also where you spot additives (E-numbers) and the kinds of ingredients typical of ultra-processed foods, such as flavorings, emulsifiers and sweeteners. A short list of recognizable foods is usually a good sign.

Nutrition claims: what "light" and "no added sugar" mean

Claims on the front of the pack are regulated, but they only describe one aspect of a food. In the EU, "low sugar" means no more than 5 g of sugars per 100 g of food (2.5 g per 100 ml for drinks), and "sugar free" means no more than 0.5 g per 100 g or 100 ml.

• "No added sugar" means no sugars or sweetening foods (such as honey or fruit juice concentrate) were added, but the food can still be high in natural sugars, as dried fruit or juice is. In the EU, a "no added sugar" food that naturally contains sugars must also say so on the pack.
• "Light" or "reduced" compares the product with a regular version. It can still be high in fat or sugar overall.
• "Natural", "wholesome" or "made with real fruit" are mostly marketing; check the table.

Front-of-pack scores such as Nutri-Score also sum up the table in one letter, which is a quick way to compare products within the same category.