Know How to Interpret Labels

Diabetic

Diabetic products are prepared substituting sugar with sweeteners. The fat content or caloric value of the product might remain the same. While non-caloric sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame potassium are used in diabetic products, caloric sweeteners such as dextrose, maltose, corn syrup and fructose might also be used. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the label.

Light

Light products contain one third less calories or 50 percent less fat. Products that have a decreased caloric value or decreased fat content and sodium (Na) content decreased by 50% can be defined as light products. Therefore, it would be correct to label such products as “light” or “with decreased caloric value”.

Extra light

Products with fat content less than 1 percent.

Low-Calorie

Products with less than 40 calories per 100 g of solid or less than 3 calories per 100 g of liquid mass.

Diet Products

It is not correct to label food products as “diet products”.

Sugar Free

It is not correct to label food products as “sugar free”. Instead, they can be labeled as “no sugar added”.

Fat Free

For a food product to be considered fat free, its fat content should not exceed 1% of 100 g of the solid product mass.

Preserve

A mix of sugar and pulp and/or puree of one or more fruits brought to a suitable jelly viscosity (in 1000 g of a preserve, the quantity of pulp and/or puree should be no less than 350 g).

Extra Preserve

A mix of sugar and pulp of one or more fruits brought to a suitable jelly viscosity (in 1000 g of an extra preserve, the quantity of pulp should be no less than 450 g)

Traditional Preserve

A mix of sugar and fruits brought to a certain viscosity (the fruit content should be no less than 33%).

Extra Traditional Preserve

A mix of sugar and fruits brought to a certain viscosity (the fruit content should be no less than 45%).