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Nutrition Labels – US vs Europe. Who’s Better?

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This is a guest blog post by Carol Harvey, director of nutrition labeling at Palate Works.

At the risk of causing some to choke on their French canned duck leg confit (a great product, despite no Nutrition Facts), I’d like to highlight some little-known or underappreciated facts about US nutrition labeling.

Yes, US nutrition labels have their shortcomings, despite 20+ years of evolution, and enforcement can be weak at best, but compared to the European versions (and most of the rest of the world’s) we kick asparagus. Here are just a few reasons:

1. US labels were the first mandated and are still the model. European countries and the EU have yet to actually require nutrition labeling (except when nutrition or health claims are made), although that could change this year if the EU finalizes regulations similar to those in the US.

2. US nutrition panels are easier to read (when compliant with regulations): bolder, bigger fonts (OK, often due to not having to squeeze several languages on a package) and more consistent in format. On small packages, such as fruit & nut bars, this can be particularly eye-challenging (see photo above, where the top two are from the US; the other two from EU, with the bottom one, from Sweden, lacking any nutrition info). Got a microscope in your pocket?

3. European labels skimp on info. When data is provided on European products, not as many nutrients are shown: no data for trans fat, vitamins or minerals, and about a third of labels omit saturated fat, fiber, sugar and sodium. Trying to cut back on sugar or saturated fat but want more fiber? Good luck comparing foods in Europe.

4. US products must show serving sizes in common measures (cups, slices, etc.) and by weight in grams, plus the number of servings per package. Products of the same category/type generally must use the same serving size (aka the “reference amount”), a quantity that is NOT made up by food companies (although some small manufacturers violate it, usually due to ignorance).

Products in the EU often only give data per 100 g portion, although more are now offering info by FDA-comparable serving size as well. Per 100 g is great for A-to-B comparison, but less meaningful when you will consume a portion other than 100 g (a fairly large quantity for dry foods, and almost never the amount in a package). You’d need to do the math to figure out how many servings per package (rarely a whole number), as well as the actual nutrition per serving. Got a scale and calculator handy?

As for what’s inside European food packages…

1. Products are generally higher in sodium, with snack foods often packing 2x more than similar products in the US. These Spanish/Portugese PepsiCo corn snacks have 400 mg sodium in a 27g package (which is a slightly smaller portion than the US and EU standard serving size or “dose” of 30g):

2.Trans-fat is in many foods, and not only is it missing from the nutrition panel, but, as with this candy bar, often it’s unlabeled in the ingredients (e.g., “vegetable shortening” or “vegetable fat,” instead of “partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil”). This can happen in the US also, but mostly with small companies or imported products… and it’s illegal.

Interestingly, some products sold in Europe have US-style Nutrition Facts panels, but are missing the trans-fat (required in the US since 2006), or are otherwise out of compliance, meaning they can’t be sold in the US, but are OK in Europe. Here’s the nutrition info for the same candy bar (with strangely low sugar content considering it’s the first ingredient):

Note: See that 1 g fiber? It’s not from whole grains but cocoa. This is a chocolate-flavored wafer bar. Also, any trans fat will be hidden under “total fat” (which is quite high), not saturated fat.

3. Breads, snack foods and sweets have less fiber (fewer whole grains) than in the US. Germany is the main exception, at least for crackers and breads, due to a tradition of using whole grain rye and wheat.

4. Sweetened, flavored sodas and faux juice beverages are very popular in Europe. Orange Fanta often shows as “orange juice” and the lemon flavor as “lemonade” on menus (including in mountain huts, much to my disappointment), and the orange flavor is a common substitute for orange juice in sangria at bars/restaurants in Spain (doubly disappointing).

5. There are fewer good beverage options overall; for example, lightly- or unsweetened bottled teas found almost everywhere in the US are rare in Europe, but artificially sweetened and flavored “diet” teas abound, often masquerading as “natural, healthy” drinks, since “diet” is somehow equated with “healthy,” a term that is regulated in the US.

Outside of Europe, nutrition labeling and healthy options are even more scarce (exceptions are Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of whom followed our lead). Considering the meager funds allotted to FDA for compliance and enforcement, and the gazillions of food products subject to regulation… the US is one of the better places for knowing what’s in your food, and one of the few where you could actually have a Fooducate app.

Carol Harvey has been a nutrition labeling and product development consultant for over 15 years. She can be reached at palatemail [AT] yahoo [DOT] com.

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  • http://robertmckay.net Robert McKay

    Sadly though, the companies in the US are finding ways to comply with the labeling, but still not really have any good nutrition. Take fiber for instance. There are all of those snack bars like Fiber One that make you think they are great for you and high in fiber, but really they are stuffed with inulin which does little more than make you gassy or give you diarrhea. Here’s a link to check out. http://blog.fooducate.com/2010/01/11/are-you-consuming-fake-fiber/ Inside that story is a link to a more detailed piece by the LA Times. http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-nutrition11-2010jan11,0,6169742.story

    • Chiwiiz

      I can’t believe the ignorant self contentedness whit which this article is written. Clearly, the author hasn’t traveled in many European countries as a consumer, and this is “we are the best” attitude combines with ignorance is what makes Americans disliked around the world. 

      I’d say the the European food labeling is far superior that the American model. The food industries lobbyist have clearly won the battle when it comes to everything from dyes to gen manipulated foods to declaration of nutritional value. I would also say that, in countries, like for instance Sweden, you can get quite precise information about what is in your food, and all foods can be compared across the line because of the standard 100gram labeling requirement that gives you a chance to compare apples to pears to cake or sausage.

       How do you measure for instance the content in an american sandwich, when it’s declared in measurement per cup??? Yes, that’s what I saw in the store the other day. Hmm.. should I mash the sandwich into a measuring cup to see how much I should eat of it, if I want to know the amount of calories I consume? And how on earth did they they decide the caloric value measured in cups in the first place? If the nutritional value in stead was declared per 100grams, it’s simply third grade math to calculate how much the entire sandwich will cost me in calories, or half of it, for that matter.But, since the millions of money the food industry pumps into lobbying for obscure, incomplete and complicated labeling, or gets congress to agree to pizza being labeled as a vegetable, we will still be needing a calculator, guess work and some luck to find out what it is we put into our bodies here in the US. It’s just sad that people writing about food, with limited knowledge, have the nerve to declare America the greatest, when in reality, we’re far, far behind many European countries, especially, when it comes to food labeling and consumer protection.

  • Bob

    If US labeling is better than European labeling (which I doubt), then clearly labeling does not matter.  Americans are conspicuously more obese and less healthy than Europeans. 

    • http://www.palateworks.com Carol

      Hey Bob… Funny you should comment on “better,” as the original title didn’t say that (I think there was an editorial enhancement to get more reaction out of people ;-) ). Anyway, here is the EU web site that describes their nutrition labeling. Note that the labeling is indeed “optional” (as in not required): http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/l21092_en.htm. And as mentioned to Polish Mama, while there certainly is an obesity problem in the US, not EVERYONE is obese or unhealthy, and it is nice to see things changing for the better with resources like Fooducate, and the many small food companies trying to create better products, plus all the farmers markets that are absolutely thriving, etc. Obesity is not proof of labeling not working — there are so many factors in obesity (poverty, long working hours because our healthcare and cost of living are higher, poor education, etc.), and in fact I’d bet that if there were no labeling it would probably be worse, because there would be less incentive on the part of companies to create food products that are better… not to mention people would have less info on which to make smart choices (for those who want and try to do that — and we exist).

  • Penny

    I agree with Bob. Labelling does not appear to really help the majority of people. I fully understand labelling is invaluable for those with sensitivities, allergies and restricted diets, but they are ignored by the majority.

    Take cigarettes for example. They have extensive labelling including very graphic photos, and yet a large number of people still buy them everyday.

    The lack of unprocessed food in most people’s diets is the problem. Frankly, like many comments in the past have said, if it needs an extensive nutritional label, it’s probably not the best food to be eating (i.e., fresh broccoli has no label).

  • http://polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/ Polish Mama on the Prairie

    It seems you are comparing US labeling to Spanish labeling, not US labeling to EU labeling.  Also, there are certain food ingredients banned in the EU and other European markets that are accepted in the US or have warning labels that the US doesn’t require.  I can tell you that as a Pole, we drink plenty of water, eat whole grains loaded with fiber, eat less meat, and our produce is picked fresher so the produce is more nutrient dense.
    Alas, that will be changing as Poland and other European countries strive to be like the US and are being heavily marketed products that are beginning to fall out of favor with some Americans.

    • http://www.palateworks.com Carol

      Hi PMoP — All the labels shown as examples are from EU countries (Spain, which is in the EU by the way; Sweden and Lithuania). List of EU countries here: http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/index_en.htm. These were chosen as examples only because those are the countries I visited most recently and happen to still have packaging from. But yes, it is the case that the EU bans more food ingredients than the US… but wouldn’t you want to know about trans fat in your food? Also, there are plenty of people in the US that eat and drink just as well as those in Europe (but smoke much less, I might add, if we are going to make broad generalizations). After all, we do have lots of farmers markets, and plenty of people grow veggies and fruit in their gardens … i.e., we are not all obese or unhealthy ;-)

  • Carol Gillott

    I agree completely with the story. I’m in France right now and the labeling is a joke. You need a microscope to read the information. Why do they bother? It’s all but useless.

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  • Beth

    This article is basised. After spending the summer traveling through 12 European countries this article only points out the disadvantages of European food labels. I propose that this author look at the benefits of their labeling techniques, the fact that they label their product in various languages should be a benefit opposed to a disadvantage. For someone who faces
    Celiac Disease, European food labeling is far more advanced than the US.

    • Carol

      Hi Beth — The topic of the post is nutrition labeling. If we were to get into ingredient labeling, then I’d say there are a lot of advantages to the EU version. But as for nutrition labeling, the fact is that the EU doesn’t require it (and they don’t show as many nutrients), so that makes it difficult to compete. As for all the languages, well, Europe has a lot of countries and languages spoken in a smaller space with shared food distribution, so it is obviously needed, whereas in the US, where a huge majority of people speak only English, it doesn’t make sense to require food companies to take up package space with other languages (although Spanish and French are on many packages depending on region and manufacturer’s decision). BTW… The Lithuanian package shown in the post has no English (too many Baltic languages to cover). It is a challenge anywhere to provide the info to all potential consumers.

  • http://twitter.com/ChefMikedotca Chef Mike Benninger

    Gee,…so the US apparently has better labelling laws, but still allows RED DYE #4 and Orange Dye #8 while Europe has thinner, healthier people who get beet juice and tumeric as colourings…clearly the 1/4 of your population that is morbidly obese are paying complete attention to what they’re eating…

    • Carol

      True, which is why it’s good that our labeling regs require all food coloring to be listed in the ingredients, so you can opt not to purchase what you don’t want. Also, there are many products in the US that use more natural colorings, such as beet juice, annatto, turmeric, paprika extract, black rice pigment, red cabbage pigment (for pink, red or blue depending on acidity of the product), etc.

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  • kultakutri

    The nutritional values per portion… well, I always thought them a stupid joke. I want my info per 100g or 100ml, and in kilojoules, not in cups, spoons and calories, because by a bit of qualified guesswork, I can see that I ate 50g of, say, cheese, and drank half a litre of milk. The rest is 3rd grade math. While a slice is pretty random and arbitrary.
    I must admit that I personally hate the US style labels, I’m not interested in some hypothetical recommended daily values because they’re counted for some woman who is 162 cm tall and 57 kilos heavy  – I’m somewhat lazy to look up the average citizen, nor do I know the relationship between calories and joules, because back when dinosaurs roamed our streets, we were told at schools that calories are an obsolete unit. I can’t say it about all countries but in Czech Republic where I live, the kids are taught basics of nutrition in 4th and 5th grades and then later as a part of biology classes so everyone should in theory know that, say, butter contains lots of fat and some vitamin D. Also, the who cares about nutrition will likely eat less processed food and those who don’t care, won’t care anyway.