How to Read European Food Labels: A Complete Guide for Healthier Choices

Knowing how to read food labels is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to make informed choices and take care of their health. It isn’t just about numbers, but about understanding what we put into our bodies. In this guide, we’ll reveal the secrets of food labels and show you how Luminatens can become your smart ally for a more informed shopping experience.

Why It’s Essential to Read Labels

Reading food labels carefully allows you to:

• Understand the Nutritional Profile: Know the number of calories, macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) in what you eat.
• Compare Products: Easily identify the options that best match your health and wellness goals.
• Manage Specific Needs: Quickly spot allergens, additives, or ingredients to avoid for intolerances or special diets.
• Maintain a Balanced Diet: Avoid excessive added sugars, saturated fats, and salt.

A conscious reading of labels helps you improve the quality of your daily diet. With Luminatens, this process becomes incredibly simple: the app scans and automatically reads nutritional values, and if the label provides per-serving data, it normalizes them to 100 g/ml. This guarantees a consistently fair and reliable comparison across different products.

Structure of European Food Labels (Reg. EU 1169/2011)

Every prepackaged food in the EU must display clear information. Here are the main elements:

1. Product Name
   Describes the item precisely (e.g., “Low-fat Strawberry Yogurt”).
2. Ingredients List
   • Listed in descending order by weight. The first ingredient is the most abundant.
   • Allergens (e.g., MILK, WHEAT, SOY) are highlighted (bold or uppercase).
   • Food additives are shown with their chemical name or an “E” code (e.g., E300 for ascorbic acid, which is Vitamin C).
3. Quantity of Certain Ingredients (QUID)
   If an ingredient is emphasized in the product name (e.g., “Chocolate Chip Cookies”), its percentage must be indicated.
4. Net Quantity
   The total weight of the product without packaging. For items preserved in liquid (e.g., canned tuna), drained weight is also provided.
5. Best Before or Expiration Date
   • “Best before” indicates up to when the product maintains its specific qualities if stored properly.
   • “Use by” is for highly perishable foods (e.g., fresh milk, meat); past this date, the product becomes unsafe.
6. Storage and Usage Instructions
   Directions for keeping the product in optimal condition.
7. Name or Business Name and Address of the Food Business Operator.
8. Country of Origin or Place of Provenance
   Required for certain products (e.g., fresh meat, honey, olive oil, fruit, and vegetables).
9. Mandatory Nutritional Declaration (per 100 g/ml)
   • Energy value (in kJ and kcal).
   • Fats (and amount of saturated fatty acids).
   • Carbohydrates (and amount of sugars).
   • Protein.
   • Salt.
     Often also includes fiber content.

Luminatens: Your Intelligent Label Assistant

Luminatens does more than just read labels—it interprets and simplifies them:

• Instant Comparison
  By normalizing nutritional values to 100 g/ml, you can easily compare different products, even if their original labels show per-serving data.
• Allergens and Additives Under Control
  During ingredient-list scanning, Luminatens automatically highlights common allergens and categorizes food additives, helping you understand at a glance what’s in the product.
• Personalized Score
  The app calculates a nutritional quality score based on the extracted values and your selected diet type (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, keto, carnivore), offering a tailor-made evaluation.

How to Interpret Nutritional Data with Luminatens

• Energy (kcal/kJ)
  The “fuel” provided by the food. Luminatens shows the value per 100 g/ml, and with the “Consumption” feature in history, you can log the portion you actually ate to track real calorie intake.
• Fats (and Saturated Fats)
  It’s important to distinguish. Unsaturated fats (e.g., olive oil) are beneficial, while excess saturated fats should be monitored. The app displays both values clearly.
• Carbohydrates (and Sugars)
  Simple sugars are the ones to watch. Luminatens shows sugar content, making it easier to make informed choices.
• Fiber
  Essential for digestion and gut health. With Luminatens, you can quickly see the fiber content and compare it across products.
• Protein
  Vital for your muscles and tissues. The app helps you identify and compare protein content in foods.
• Salt
  Excessive intake is linked to health issues. Luminatens shows salt content (converting sodium if necessary) to help you stay within recommended limits.

The 5 Golden Rules for Effective Label Reading (Enhanced by Luminatens)

1. Always Check the First Ingredients
   They are the most abundant. If sugar or unhealthy fats appear first, be cautious!
   With Luminatens: Ingredient analysis highlights the key items for you.
2. Watch for Hidden Sugars
   Sugar can go by many names (glucose-fructose syrup, dextrose, maltose, concentrated fruit juice, etc.).
   With Luminatens: The ingredient scanner helps you identify various sugars and sweeteners.
3. Don’t Be Fooled by Marketing
   Labels like “light,” “no added sugars,” or attractive packaging don’t always tell the whole truth. Always check the nutrition panel and ingredients list.
   With Luminatens: You get objective data to look beyond appearances.
4. Consider Portion Size
   Nutrition information is often per 100 g/ml, but the portion you eat may differ.
   With Luminatens: You can log your actual portions in history for accurate tracking.
5. Understand Additives
   Not all “E” codes are the same. Some are harmless (like Vitamin C – E300), while others deserve more attention.
   With Luminatens: The app categorizes detected additives, giving you insight into their nature.

The New NutrInform Label

You may have noticed the NutrInform label on some products, with its “battery”-style indicators per portion. Luminatens focuses on extracting data from the standard nutrition table, which is mandatory and allows for a more direct comparison between products once normalized to 100 g/ml.

Conclusion: Choose Wisely with Luminatens

Reading food labels is a critical step toward a healthier, more conscious diet. With Luminatens, this task becomes simpler, faster, and personalized. A single scan gives you:

• Standardized Nutritional Data: Always referenced to 100 g/ml for fair comparisons.
• Clear Ingredient Analysis: Automatic highlighting of allergens and categorization of additives.
• Tailored Nutritional Score: Based on your diet and the food’s values.
• Detailed History: To track your choices over time.

Download Luminatens today and transform how you look at food labels. Make more informed choices for a healthier you!

Sources and Further Reading

1. Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
2. Food Labeling Guide – Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy
3. Your Europe – EU Food Labeling Rules