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Food Law

Nutrition definitions

The following are specific definitions contained in Annex I of Regulation 1169/2011:

  1. “nutrition declaration” or “nutrition labelling” means information stating the:
    1. energy value; or
    2. energy value and one or more of the following nutrients only:
      • fat (saturates, mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates),
      • carbohydrate (sugars, polyols, starch),
      • salt,
      • fibre,
      • protein,
      • any of the vitamins or minerals listed in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIII, and present in significant amounts as defined in point 2 of Part A of Annex XIII (see Table of Vitamins and Minerals)
  2. “fat” means total lipids, and includes phospholipids;
  3. “saturates” means fatty acids without double bond;
  4. “trans fat” means fatty acids with at least one non-conjugated (namely interrupted by at least one methylene group) carbon-carbon double bond in the trans configuration;
  5. “mono-unsaturates” means fatty acids with one cis double bond;
  6. “polyunsaturates” means fatty acids with two or more cis, cis-methylene interrupted double bonds;
  7. “carbohydrate” means any carbohydrate which is metabolised by humans, and includes polyols;
  8. “sugars” means all monosaccharides and disaccharides present in food, but excludes polyols;
  9. “polyols” means alcohols containing more than two hydroxyl groups;
  10. “protein” means the protein content calculated using the formula: protein = total Kjeldahl nitrogen × 6.25;
  11. “salt” means the salt equivalent content calculated using the formula: salt = sodium × 2.5;
  12. “fibre” means carbohydrate polymers with three or more monomeric units, which are neither digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine and belong to the following categories:
    • edible carbohydrate polymers naturally occurring in the food as consumed,
    • edible carbohydrate polymers which have been obtained from food raw material by physical, enzymatic or chemical means and which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific evidence,
    • edible synthetic carbohydrate polymers which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific evidence,
  13. “average value” means the value which best represents the amount of the nutrient which a given food contains, and reflects allowances for seasonal variability, patterns of consumption and other factors which may cause the actual value to vary.

Annex I of Regulation 1169/2011