What is the difference between “light”, “reduced” and “low” for calories regarding to the fat content in food?

Sandra Herrera, Colombia

There are no rules to say how much less fat a 'fat reduced' product or "light" product must contain. The law does not say what "light" exactly means, and so producers can use these terms to give the impression that a food has less fat or fewer calories than similar foods. Sometimes a "light" version of a product contains almost the same amount of calories than the normal product. Because there are no rules to say how much less fat or how many fewer calories 'light' foods must contain you have to read the label. To find out what is the difference between it and other similar products you should compare the nutrition panel. The easiest way to compare products is to look at the information per 100g.

To protect consumers a new legislation which will deal with these terms is to come. There is a Commission proposal on nutrition and health claims to better inform consumers and harmonise the market. The draft Regulation will need the approval of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. It is fore seen to come gradually into force by 2005.
Read the proposal for a Regulation on the use of nutrition and health claims:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/labellingnutrition/claims/index_en.htm