Short answer: First find the basis: US labels give numbers per serving, EU and UK labels per 100 g or 100 ml. Scale that to the amount you’ll actually eat. Then check calories (the kcal figure, not kJ), the nutrients to limit – saturated fat, sodium or salt, added sugars – and the ones to get more of, such as fiber. On US labels, 5% DV or less is low and 20% DV or more is high.
A nutrition label is the most precise information you’ll get about a packaged food, far better than a guess or a photo. The catch is that labels look different depending on where you shop. A US Nutrition Facts panel and a European or British nutrition table answer the same questions in different ways, and it’s easy to compare the wrong numbers.
This guide explains both systems, what the ingredients list tells you, a quick routine you can use in the supermarket aisle, and a worked comparison of two products. If you track what you eat, labels are also the backbone of counting calories accurately.
US vs EU and UK labels at a glance
| Feature | US Nutrition Facts | EU and UK |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers given | Per serving; some packages also per package | Per 100 g or 100 ml; per portion optional |
| Energy | Calories (kcal) | kJ and kcal |
| Daily benchmark | % Daily Value, based on 2,000 calories | % reference intake, based on 8,400 kJ / 2,000 kcal (optional) |
| Sugars | Total sugars and added sugars | Total sugars only |
| Sodium | Sodium in mg | Salt in g |
| Fiber | Required | Optional |
How to read the US Nutrition Facts label
Serving size and servings per container
Start at the top. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that the serving size reflects the amount people typically eat or drink – it is not a recommendation. Every number below it, including calories and %DV, refers to one serving. If you eat two servings, double everything. Some packages that could be finished in one sitting show a second “per package” column, which saves you the math. If your usual portion is hard to judge, our guide to estimating portions without a scale helps.
Calories
“Calories” on a US label means kilocalories (kcal), the same unit as on European labels. The FDA uses 2,000 calories a day as a general guide for nutrition advice, but your needs may be higher or lower depending on your age, sex, height, weight and activity.
Percent Daily Value and the 5/20 rule
The %DV shows how much one serving contributes to a day’s reference amount of each nutrient. The FDA’s rule of thumb: 5% DV or less per serving is low, 20% DV or more is high. The column doesn’t add up to 100% – each line stands alone. It works best for comparing two products with the same serving size.
- Get less of: saturated fat (DV 20 g), sodium (DV 2,300 mg) and added sugars (DV 50 g). Aim to stay below 100% DV across the day.
- Get more of: dietary fiber (DV 28 g), vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.
Total sugars vs added sugars
Total sugars include sugars naturally present in milk and fruit plus any added sugars. Added sugars are those added during processing, sold as sweeteners (like table sugar), or coming from syrups, honey and concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. “Includes 9 g Added Sugars” means those grams are part of the total. Say a flavored yogurt lists 16 g total sugars including 9 g added: about 7 g come from the milk, and the added sugars are 18% DV. Total sugars and trans fat have no %DV, and protein shows one only in certain cases, such as when the package makes a protein claim.
How to read EU and UK nutrition labels
Per 100 g, per 100 ml and per portion
Under EU Regulation 1169/2011, the nutrition table must show energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g or 100 ml. That makes comparing products easy: every yogurt or cereal is on the same scale. A per-portion column is optional and must state the portion size. Check whether figures are for the food as sold or as prepared, for example cereal with milk – the regulation allows either when preparation instructions are given.
kJ and kcal: which number is calories?
Energy appears twice: kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal). The kcal figure is what people call calories. The kJ number is roughly 4.2 times larger – the regulation pairs 8,400 kJ with 2,000 kcal – so logging kJ as calories would quadruple your intake.
Reference intakes (%RI)
Many labels show each nutrient as a percentage of the reference intake for an average adult. These are benchmarks, not personal targets.
| Energy or nutrient | Reference intake |
|---|---|
| Energy | 8,400 kJ / 2,000 kcal |
| Total fat | 70 g |
| Saturates | 20 g |
| Carbohydrate | 260 g |
| Sugars | 90 g |
| Protein | 50 g |
| Salt | 6 g |
Salt instead of sodium
European labels show salt, calculated as sodium × 2.5. To compare with a US label, divide salt by 2.5: 1.5 g salt is 0.6 g (600 mg) sodium. The US Daily Value of 2,300 mg sodium is about 5.75 g of salt.
“Sugars” means total sugars
In the EU, “sugars” covers all sugars in the food, natural or added. There’s no separate added-sugars line, so the ingredients list is where you find out how much is added.
UK traffic lights and other front-of-pack labels
In the UK, many packs carry a voluntary front-of-pack label that combines color coding with %RI for energy, fat, saturates, sugars and salt. Red means high, amber medium and green low. The NHS uses these cut-offs for foods:
| Nutrient | Low (green) | High (red) |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | 3 g or less | more than 17.5 g |
| Saturates | 1.5 g or less | more than 5 g |
| Sugars | 5 g or less | more than 22.5 g |
| Salt | 0.3 g or less | more than 1.5 g |
Anything in between is amber; drinks use different criteria. Front-of-pack figures are often per portion, and the NHS warns that the manufacturer’s idea of a portion may differ from yours. Other countries use other symbols, such as Nutri-Score letter grades in parts of Europe or black “high in” warnings in several Latin American countries. They’re useful summaries; the full table on the back has the detail.
What the ingredients list tells you
- Order is by weight. In the US, EU and UK, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. If sugar, oil, butter or cream is among the first few, the food is likely high in it.
- Sugar has many names. Syrups, honey and fruit juice concentrates all count as added sugars. Several sugars listed separately can each sit lower on the list while adding up to a lot.
- Percentages of key ingredients. In the EU, an ingredient named or pictured on the pack must usually show its percentage, as in “strawberry yogurt (strawberries 8%)”.
- Allergens stand out. EU and UK labels emphasize allergens within the list, often in bold.
- Claims are about one thing. “Low fat” or “light” says nothing about sugar or salt. Check the table rather than the slogan.
How to read a nutrition label in 30 seconds
- Basis: per serving or per 100 g? Note the serving size and servings per pack.
- Your portion: how much will you really eat? Scale the numbers to that.
- Calories: read the kcal figure.
- Limit list: saturated fat, sodium or salt, added sugars. Look for 20% DV or more, or red.
- More list: fiber, and protein if you’re watching it – see macros explained.
- Ingredients: glance at the first three and scan for sugars and allergens.
Worked example: comparing two breakfast cereals
Here are two hypothetical European-style labels. Granola A’s ingredients start “oats, sugar, vegetable oil, honey”; Muesli B’s start “oats, raisins, wheat flakes”.
| Per 100 g | Granola A | Muesli B | UK color (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1,918 kJ / 457 kcal | 1,510 kJ / 358 kcal | not colored |
| Fat | 17 g | 6 g | amber / amber |
| Saturates | 6.5 g | 1.2 g | red / green |
| Sugars | 24 g | 15 g | red / amber |
| Fiber | 6 g | 8 g | – |
| Protein | 9 g | 10 g | – |
| Salt | 0.4 g | 0.1 g | amber / green |
| Label portion | 30 g = 137 kcal | 50 g = 179 kcal | – |
Per portion, Granola A looks lighter: 137 kcal against 179 kcal. But that’s only because its portion is smaller. Per 100 g, A has about 100 kcal more, over five times the saturates and more sugars, and its ingredients show the sugars are added, while B’s come largely from raisins. Pour a 60 g bowl of each and A gives about 274 kcal, B about 215 kcal. The rule: compare per 100 g, then scale to your own bowl.
How Portiva helps with labels
Portiva reads labels for you. Scan a barcode, or photograph the nutrition table and Portiva reads the numbers, then log the amount you actually ate in grams or in household measures like bowls, cups, spoons and slices. Every entry shows its portion and you can edit it before saving. Manual and barcode logging are unlimited on the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look at first on a nutrition label?
The basis and the serving size. On a US label, every number refers to one serving, and a package often holds several. On EU and UK labels, the main column is per 100 g or 100 ml. Until you know what the numbers refer to and how that compares with what you’ll eat, the rest of the label can mislead you.
What do 5% and 20% Daily Value mean?
They’re the FDA’s rule of thumb for US labels: 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is low, and 20% DV or more is high. Look for high %DV for fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium, and low %DV for saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. Percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie reference diet.
How do I convert kJ to calories?
Divide kilojoules by about 4.2 to get kilocalories, the unit people call calories. European labels show both, so you rarely need to calculate: just read the kcal figure. For example, a food with 1,510 kJ per 100 g has about 358 kcal per 100 g. Be careful not to log the kJ number as calories.
What is the difference between salt and sodium?
Sodium is one component of salt. EU and UK labels show salt, calculated as sodium × 2.5, while US labels show sodium in milligrams. To convert, multiply sodium by 2.5 or divide salt by 2.5. So 600 mg sodium equals 1.5 g salt, the UK threshold for a high-salt food per 100 g.
Why don’t EU and UK labels show added sugars?
EU rules define “sugars” as all sugars in the food, whether natural or added, and there’s no required added-sugars line. To judge added sugar, read the ingredients: sugar, syrups, honey or fruit juice concentrate near the top suggest a lot is added. Plain milk and fruit-only products contain natural sugars without any added.
Sources
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024).
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024).
- Types of Food Ingredients, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2023).
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, European Union, EUR-Lex (2011).
- Food labels, NHS (2026).
- Front of Pack nutrition labelling guidance, Department of Health and Social Care, GOV.UK (2016).