Food Products Labeled as 'Light' - An Assessment of Their Healthiness
Laura Schneider
2026-03-24
7 min. read
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The term 'light' or 'lite' is a statement by the food manufacturer. These are voluntary disclosures on the label of the product, and their application is governed by the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods. The term 'light' and any other terms which may be interpreted by the consumer as similar, can be applied if the product is characterized by a reduced amount of a specific component, e.g. fat (energy), by at least 30% compared to the amount of the ingredient in a similar product. The manufacturer should also indicate which characteristics of the product make it a 'light' product.
Investigate the labels
In some products, the content of a certain component is decreased while another is simultaneously increased. In order to determine how light products genuinely differ from traditional products, a thorough examination of the information about composition and nutritional value found on the label is necessary. For instance, we can consider fruit yogurts from a well-known brand. Let's compare the composition of the light version with the regular version. According to the manufacturer's information, the light yogurt contains 30% fewer calories than other products of the same brand.
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