"Sugar-free," "fitness," "eco": what these labels actually mean

The front of a package speaks in short words: "light," "fitness," "sugar-free," "eco." Some of these are legal claims backed by numbers, while others mean nothing at all, and the font style makes no distinction between them. The real difference lies where you might not expect, and it is a skill you can learn to develop.

Two classes of labels

Almost everything printed in large font on the front of a package is applied voluntarily. TR CU 022/2011 refers to this as information about the distinctive features of food products and divides it into two unequal parts.

The first part consists of claims from Annex 5 of the regulation. This is a closed list of about two dozen formulations: "sugar-free," "low fat," "source of protein," "reduced energy value," and similar ones. Each has a specified numerical condition, and the label may only be used if that condition is met. Such a claim is verified by a laboratory, and non-compliance is a violation of the regulation.

The second part is everything else. The regulation allows it as well, but there is only one requirement: the manufacturer must have evidence of the claimed feature, which they keep on file and present when required by law. There is no number, no definition of the word, and the shopper in the store cannot verify it in any way.

Below are the groups: where a threshold exists and what it is, and where it is absent entirely.

"Sugar-free" and "no added sugar"

These are two different claims, and the difference between them is fundamental.

"Sugar-free" means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g of solid product or per 100 ml of liquid. "Low sugar" means no more than 5 g per 100 g or 2.5 g per 100 ml. By sugars, the regulation means the sum of mono- and disaccharides: glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose. Not sweetness and not calories — only this sum.

This leads to two consequences that are most often misunderstood. A "sugar-free" product can be sweet: sweeteners are not included in this sum at all. And it can be high-calorie: fat, starch, and protein have nothing to do with sugars, and a sugar-free protein bar can easily provide 400 kcal per 100 g.

"No added sugar" is a statement not about quantity, but about technology: mono- and disaccharides were not added during production as ingredients. The raw material's own sugars remain, and the regulation requires the label to state nearby: "Contains naturally occurring sugars." Such a label on a package is a signal that there is sugar in the product; it just came from fruit, juice, or milk.

Maltodextrin is a separate case. It is a polysaccharide; it is not included in the sum of mono- and disaccharides and does not break the "sugar-free" threshold, but it affects blood glucose quickly. The other names under which sugar enters the composition are analyzed in the article on hidden sugar.

If sweetness is provided by sugar alcohols — sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol — the manufacturer is required to place a notice after the ingredients list about a possible laxative effect if consumed in excess. And if aspartame is used, "Contains a source of phenylalanine" appears after the ingredients: this warning is addressed to people with phenylketonuria and is not on the label for aesthetic reasons.

"Light," "reduced content," "for diabetics"

The words "light" are not mentioned in Annex 5. The closest claim with a number is "reduced energy value": the caloric content must be reduced by at least 30 percent relative to similar products. The key here is "relative": the threshold is not set by an absolute number, but by comparison with similar products. The regulation does not require stating exactly what it was compared with — the manufacturer has a different duty: a nutrition claim must be accompanied by an indication of the amount of the corresponding nutrients in the labeling. So, "light" is not verified by a comparison database, which may not even be on the package, but by the table on the back. If there is neither a reduced indicator nor numbers next to the word, the label belongs to the second class.

"Low calorie" is already an absolute threshold: no more than 40 kcal per 100 g or 20 kcal per 100 ml. "Low fat" means no more than 3 g per 100 g or 1.5 g per 100 ml.

The practical trap of "light" products is that usually only one indicator is reduced. Fat maintains taste and texture, and when it is removed from yogurt, sauce, or cookies, sugar and starch take its place. The final caloric content drops very little, and sometimes does not drop at all. This can be checked in five seconds using the table on the back.

"Dietary" on regular cookies is a word without a definition. Real products for dietary therapeutic and preventive nutrition are regulated by a separate document, TR CU 027/2012, and they are produced as specialized food products with their own requirements for composition. But even a verified "for diabetics" label does not eliminate the need to count carbohydrates: replacing sucrose with a sweetener does nothing for the flour, starch, and grains in the same product. In the case of diabetes, pregnancy, and kidney disease, the diet should be changed in consultation with a doctor, not based on a label on the front of the package.

"Fitness," "natural," "eco": words without a threshold — and one exception

"Fitness," "sport," "balance," "health," "ideal," "homemade," "farm-style," "natural," "premium" — there is no fixed requirement for these words in Russian regulation. Some of them are simply invented names, i.e., elements of a trademark: "Fitness" on a box of cereal is the product's name, not its characteristic. None of them prohibit the product from containing sugar, salt, fat, and any permitted additives in any quantity.

There is one exception, and it is strict. The words "organic," "biodynamic," "biological," "ecological," "environmentally friendly," "green," as well as "eco" and "bio" and their derivatives are, by law 280-FZ, labeling for organic products. The law has been in effect since January 1, 2020. The right to apply such a label and the unified organic product sign is granted to a manufacturer only after confirming compliance and being entered into the unified state register of organic product manufacturers; the register is open, no authorization is needed to view it, and any shopper can find a specific manufacturer in it. The unified sign is designed to be readable by technical means precisely to lead to an entry in the register. Later, a second, separate category appeared — products "with improved characteristics" under law 159-FZ, with its own sign and its own register.

Practical conclusion: "eco" and "bio" are verifiable, while "farm-style" and "natural" are not. And a separate note on "farm-style" and "homemade" as a promise: unpasteurized milk and cheeses made from it are a source of listeriosis and other infections, and they are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, or people with weakened immune systems, regardless of how conscientious the farm is.

"GMO-free" on salt: the absence of something that doesn't exist

There is a separate technique: a claim that is completely truthful and yet empty because it describes a property of the entire category, not a specific product.

• "Cholesterol-free" on vegetable oil. Cholesterol is an animal sterol; it does not exist in plant-based raw materials by origin. Interestingly, the claim itself in Annex 5 has a second condition — no more than 1.5 g of saturated fatty acids per 100 g of product — and sunflower oil does not pass this.
• "GMO-free" on salt, water, and sugar. GMO varieties of salt do not exist. Furthermore, the regulation considers a GMO content of 0.9 percent or less to be an accidental or technically unavoidable impurity and does not require it to be labeled. Why the fear itself is more complex than it seems is analyzed in the article on myths about food additives and GMOs.
• "Preservative-free" on a frozen, dry, or sterilized product. Preservatives are not needed there due to the technology: water accessible to microbes is either absent from the product or it has been disinfected by heat. Sometimes the same function is performed by salt, sugar, vinegar, or acidity regulators, which are not formally called preservatives.
• "Glutamate-free" on a product where glutamic acid is naturally present — in cheese, tomato paste, soy sauce. The difference between added monosodium glutamate and the raw material's own glutamate is not distinguishable on the tongue.
• "Palm oil-free" — a label about one specific fat that says nothing about the rest of the fat composition. What actually happens with this oil is analyzed separately.

The regulation has no grounds to ban such labels: they are not false. The general requirement not to mislead the consumer exists, but it is applied through complaints and proceedings, not automatically.

Labels where the threshold works for the shopper

The same mechanism works in the opposite direction. When a package says "source of protein" or "high fiber content," there is a verifiable number behind the words, and the nutrition claim must be accompanied by an indication of the amount of this substance in the labeling. That is, the label on the front is confirmed by the table on the back — or it is not, and that is visible.

The last row is the only one in Annex 5 where the threshold is set by comparison with another product, not an absolute number, and it applies only to caloric content. For fat, sugars, and sodium, the words "reduced content" are not in the list at all: only absolute levels are regulated for them — "low" and "absent," and for sodium, also "very low." This does not mean that writing it is prohibited — the regulation allows claims that are not in the annex, but then the manufacturer is obligated to prove them, and there is no verifiable threshold behind the words. "Reduced sugar content" on packaging is a promise, not a standard.

Bread labeled "source of fiber" really contains at least 3 g of fiber per 100 g, and this is a significant amount. The word "fitness" on the same loaf promises nothing.

Serving size, image, GOST, and "best before"

All thresholds above are calculated per 100 g or 100 ml. Advertising on the front is calculated per serving, and the serving size for most products is determined by the manufacturer itself. Hence the "only 90 kcal" on a pack of cookies, where a serving is two pieces out of twelve. How the numbers on the packaging and on the plate diverge is analyzed in the material on nutritional facts on packaging.

A photograph on a package is not part of the ingredients, but it is not free artistic expression either. The regulation prohibits depicting a product that is not in the package, that was not used in production, and whose taste is not imitated by the included components; an image of a finished dish must be accompanied by the words "serving suggestion." There is no general requirement in Russia to indicate the percentage of berries from the picture — this is a European rule, and it cannot be transferred to the Russian shelf. However, there is a more precise check: if a component is replaced by a flavoring, it is permitted to name it in the product title only using the words "flavored" or "with the taste of". The obligation arises from the other side: the regulation directly prohibits indicating a component in the name that is not in the product — so either there is strawberry in the ingredients, or the name says "with strawberry taste." "Strawberry yogurt" and "yogurt with strawberry taste" are different products, and the difference is written in the name. A similar rule exists for the dairy shelf, but it is addressed more narrowly than is usually recounted: not to any product with vegetable fats, but to a milk-containing product with a milk fat substitute. It is required to carry the label "Contains vegetable oils" in a separate field, in a contrasting color, on the side of the packaging facing the shopper on the shelf.

GOST and TU differ not in quality, but in the authorship of the document. GOST is a standard whose application is voluntary; by referencing it, the manufacturer has accepted someone else's, pre-published requirements, and this is verifiable. The manufacturer writes TU themselves for their product, and they can be either softer than GOST or stricter. Safety in both cases is set by technical regulations, which are mandatory for everyone, not by GOST. The label "GOST" without a standard number means nothing.

With expiration dates in Russia, it is simpler than commonly thought: "best before," "best before end," "shelf life," and "use by" are interchangeable formulations according to the regulation, not two different regimes as in the European Union. We do not have a separate "best before" with a softer meaning. It is forbidden to sell a product after this date. At home, the risk depends on the product: for dry grains, pasta, and canned goods, the date usually marks a loss of taste, while for minced meat, cottage cheese, ready-made salads, and fish, it marks microbiological growth, which may not produce any odor or change in appearance.

Three questions for the front of the package

• Is there a number behind the word? "Source of protein," "low fat," "sugar-free" — yes, and it must be confirmed by the table on the back. "Fitness," "natural," "homemade" — no.
• Reduced relative to what? Any "reduced" or "light" claim only makes sense together with the comparison base and together with the answer to the question of what increased in its place.
• Does the label describe the entire category? "Cholesterol-free" on oil and "GMO-free" on salt are true and meaningless.

All three questions are solved in one move — turn the package over. The ingredients list and the nutrition table do not advertise, but list, and the order of components in the ingredients list says more than any label on the front; how to read it is analyzed separately.

Count it from a photo

Frequently asked questions

If a product is labeled "sugar-free," is it not sweet?

Not necessarily. The claim means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g of product, where sugars are the sum of mono- and disaccharides. Sweeteners are not included in this, so the product may still be sweet. The label also does not limit caloric content: fat, starch, and protein remain.

How does "sugar-free" differ from "no added sugar"?

The first is about quantity: no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. The second is about the process: no sugars were added during production, but the sugars naturally present in the raw ingredients remain. In the second case, regulations require the label to state "Contains naturally occurring sugars," and this note on the packaging means that the product does contain sugars.

Can you trust labels like "eco" or "farm-made"?

These are different cases. Terms like "eco," "bio," "organic," and their derivatives are protected by Federal Law 280-FZ for certified organic products: the producer must be in the public state registry, where they can be verified. Terms like "farm-made," "homemade," or "natural" have no fixed definition, and there is no way for a consumer to verify them.

Is GOST better than TU?

Not automatically. GOST is a voluntary standard that the manufacturer has committed to follow; TU (Technical Specifications) are developed by the manufacturer themselves and can be either less or more stringent than GOST. Safety requirements are set by technical regulations and apply equally in both cases. The label "GOST" without a standard number means nothing.

Can you eat a product after its "best before" date?

In Russia, "best before" and "use by" are interchangeable terms; we do not have a separate, more lenient expiration date, and selling a product after this date is prohibited. At home, the risk depends on the product: for grains and canned goods, the date usually marks a loss of flavor, but for ground meat, cottage cheese, prepared salads, and fish, there is microbial growth that may not produce any odor or visible changes.

Read next

• Hidden sugar: under what names it appears in ingredients — The word "sugar" appears in ingredients less often than sugar itself does in a product: it has a dozen legal names, and the manufacturer has every right to use any of them.
• How to read the ingredients list on a label: the rules governing its writing — A label looks like a list of words from which everyone reads something different: one person considers a long list of ingredients a red flag, another looks for E numbers.
• Artificial sweeteners: are they harmful, and do they help you lose weight? — Arguments about sweeteners are conducted as though the choice were between them and plain water.

This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.

Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.