Product A
- Protein
- 15 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Salt
- 1.2 g
How to read a nutrition label.
A practical guide to understanding the numbers on food packaging and comparing products.
First, check what amount the values refer to.
Nutrition values only make sense when you know how much food they refer to. In Europe, nutrition information is generally given per 100 g or 100 ml, allowing different products to be compared on the same basis. The package may also show values per serving or for the whole package.
100 gFor comparing products→
1 servingTo understand the nutrition in one serving→
Whole packageTo see the total amount
Read the table correctly.
Each number in the nutrition table describes a specific aspect of the product. To make the label genuinely useful, it is important to understand not only the individual values, but also how they relate to one another.
Nutrition AcademyExample values per 100 g
Energy850 kJ / 204 kcal
Shows how much energy the food provides, usually expressed in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal).
Fat12 g
The total amount of fat in the product.
↳of which saturates2 g
Part of the total fat amount — it is not added to fat again.
Carbohydrate8 g
The total amount of carbohydrate in the product.
↳of which sugars2 g
Sugars are part of the total carbohydrate amount — they are not added to carbohydrate again.
Protein15 g
Shows the amount of protein in the product.
Salt1.2 g
Shows the amount of salt in the product.
↳“Of which” values are included within the parent value.
Compare like with like.
When comparing two products, first make sure the values refer to the same amount of food. Comparing per 100 g or 100 ml is usually the simplest approach because package size does not affect the comparison.
Product B
- Protein
- 11 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Salt
- 0.9 g
Which product is more suitable depends on what you are comparing and how it fits into the overall diet.
Compare Diplomats productsThe numbers do not tell the whole story.
The nutrition table shows the amounts of nutrients, while the ingredients list tells you what the product is made from. Looking at both gives a more complete picture of the food.
NutritionHow much?
↔IngredientsWhat is in it?
Five seconds at the shelf.
- 01
Check the reference amount.
100 g, a serving or the whole package?
- 02
Choose what you want to compare.
Energy, protein, fat, sugars, salt or another value.
- 03
Compare the same amount.
100 g with 100 g or 100 ml with 100 ml.
- 04
Read the ingredients too.
Nutrition values and ingredients tell you different things.
- 05
Look at the product as a whole.
A single number does not tell you everything about a food.
Put it into practice.
Compare product nutrition
Use the Diplomats comparison tool to view product nutrition values on the same basis.
Compare productsExplore our products
Browse the Diplomats range and open the nutrition information for individual products.
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