How to read an ingredients list in ten seconds

The list of ingredients tells you what a food product is made of – if you know how to read it. Here, you’ll learn a quick way to check drinks: where to find sugar, how to spot sweeteners, what E numbers mean, and why ‘no added ingredients’ doesn’t always mean what you’d expect. At the end, we’ll examine two of our own cans using exactly this method.

The ten-second check for drinks

1. Look for the name. Fancy names don’t tell you much; it’s only the name of the food that reveals what it is – and this is often printed on the back.
2. Check the nutrition facts table. The following must be stated: energy content, as well as fat, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g or 100 ml. ‘Sugars’ includes all monosaccharides and disaccharides, including those occurring naturally. A drink may be labelled ‘sugar-free’ if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugar per 100 ml.
3. Read the list of ingredients from the top. The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. If sugars appear near the top of the list, this suggests a high sugar content.
4. Look out for sweeteners. Foodstuffs containing sweeteners or sugar substitutes must bear the statement ‘contains sweetener(s)’; the ingredients list will include the category name ‘sweeteners’ followed by the substance name or E number.
5. Be aware of caffeine. Drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre must carry the warning ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women’ and state the amount of caffeine.

What the order reveals – and where it remains silent

The main ingredients appear at the start of the list of ingredients, whilst spices, flavourings and additives – which are often present only in small quantities – usually appear at the end. Compound ingredients, such as the salami on a pizza, must be broken down into their constituent parts. Exceptions apply to legally defined composite ingredients such as chocolate or jam, and to spice and herb mixtures, provided they account for less than 2 per cent – allergens such as celery must still be listed.

If an ingredient is pictured on the packaging or highlighted in particular, its percentage content must generally be stated. The 14 major allergens are highlighted in the list of ingredients, for example in bold or in capital letters.

Where the list is silent:

• It is not necessary to specify the quantities of each type of sugar. If several types of sugar are listed, it is often impossible to estimate the total sugar content.
• Additives that enter the product via an ingredient but have no technological function within it are not listed – such as the anti-caking agent in the salt.
• Carriers and solvents for additives, flavourings and vitamins – such as sugar or maltodextrin – are not considered ingredients when used in quantities necessary for technological purposes.
• Processing aids such as gelatine, used to clarify apple juice, are not included in the list unless they are major allergens.
• Packaging with a surface area of less than 10 cm² and loose goods do not usually carry a list of ingredients.

Hidden sugar: You should be aware of these names

According to the World Health Organisation, processed foods that are not even perceived as sweets contain a lot of sugar – a tablespoon of ketchup contains around 4 g of free sugars. Savoury sauces and ready meals also contain free sugars, and fruit yoghurt is often very high in sugar.

On the list of ingredients, ‘sugar’ isn’t always called ‘sugar’. These terms also refer to sugar or sugar-rich ingredients:

• Sucrose, glucose (grape sugar), dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, raffinose
• Glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, fructose-glucose syrup, starch syrup, caramel syrup, invert sugar syrup
• Malt extract, barley malt extract and maltodextrin, which tastes barely sweet but, depending on the type, contains up to 20 per cent sugar
• Sweet whey powder, whey products, milk powder
• Honey, grape fruit sweetener, date powder, agave syrup, fruit juice concentrate, fruit purée and dried fruit

If the ingredients list simply says ‘sugar’, this refers to beet or cane sugar. Claims such as ‘naturally sweet’ or ‘sweetness from fruit only’ say nothing about the actual sugar content. You can find out how to cut down on your sugar intake in everyday life in the guide to a sugar-free diet.

Recognising sweeteners

Under food law, sweeteners and sugar substitutes are collectively referred to as ‘sweetening agents’. If a food product contains them, the label must state ‘contains sweetening agent(s)’; in the case of sugar and sweetening agents, it must state ‘contains sugar(s) and sweetening agent(s)’. In the list of ingredients, you can recognise them by these names or numbers:

Two warnings are mandatory: if the product contains more than 10 per cent sugar substitutes, the warning ‘May have a laxative effect if consumed in excess’ must appear; for aspartame and aspartame-acesulfame salt, a warning must be included stating that the product is a source of phenylalanine. And take care with the nutrition facts table: sugar substitutes are classified as carbohydrates, not as sugar. A ‘sugar-free’ sweet may therefore contain over 90 per cent carbohydrates, but hardly any sugar. Find out more about the individual substances in our overview, ‘Sweeteners Explained’.

List of E numbers: What the numbers mean

Around 320 additives are authorised, all of which have been tested to ensure they pose no risk to health. The ‘E’ stands for Europe, and the number is standardised across the EU. In the list of ingredients, the class name appears first, followed by the substance or the E number – for example, ‘antioxidant ascorbic acid’ or ‘antioxidant E 300’. The number ranges indicate the function:

Under the EU Organic Regulation, 56 additives are permitted in organic food. Foodstuffs containing certain azo dyes must bear the warning ‘may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children’.

Novel Foods: What the ingredients list reveals about novel foods

On 27 October 2026, the Lebensmittel Zeitung and Lebensmittel Praxis reported on a survey commissioned by the European Commission. The survey examined attitudes towards so-called innovative foods, which include, for example, products made from animal cells or novel plant-based protein products. According to Lebensmittel Praxis, 67 per cent of consumers in Germany have reservations about foods grown from animal cells or parts of animals; the EU average is 62 per cent. Fifty-one per cent of respondents in Germany have a negative attitude towards innovative foods, whilst 40 per cent have a positive one. A total of 26,456 people aged 15 and over were surveyed across the EU, with 1,507 people in Germany taking part between May and June.

The survey reveals a gap in awareness: 70 per cent of respondents in Germany do not feel well informed about innovative foods (EU: 72 per cent). One in two people in Germany cited potential long-term and as yet unknown health effects as one of their greatest concerns (EU: 43 per cent). Twenty-seven per cent cited the possibility that such foods might be highly processed or unnatural (EU: 35 per cent). There is a strong desire for transparency: 85 per cent of respondents in Germany agree with the statement that innovative foods should be clearly labelled and contain transparent information on their production, composition and origin.

It is not immediately obvious from the packaging that the product is a novel food. The Consumers’ Advice Centre states that novel foods do not have to carry any special labelling or symbols to indicate their novel nature. In such cases, it helps to check the ingredients list, where all ingredients are listed – this allows you to see, for example, whether a protein bar contains cricket powder. When granting authorisation, the European Commission also decides whether additional warnings are necessary: products containing trehalose must carry a warning stating that trehalose is a source of glucose, whilst products containing migratory locusts must warn of possible cross-reactions in the case of allergies.

Some sugar substitutes are also authorised in the EU as novel foods, such as isomaltulose, trehalose, D-tagatose and cellobiose, which was authorised in 2023. According to the Consumer Advice Centre, they have so far been rarely found in lists of ingredients. In the case of tagatose, drinks containing more than one per cent must carry the warning ‘may have a laxative effect if consumed in excess’. If you’re unfamiliar with a name like this, follow the same approach as with sugar: check the nutritional information table, read the ingredients list from the top down and take note of the mandatory information on the label.

Clean Label: When ‘free from’ isn’t quite ‘free from’

Marketing claims such as ‘no artificial colours’ or ‘no flavour enhancers’ are known in professional circles as ‘clean label’. They give the impression of natural foods – but often, unpopular additives are simply replaced by ingredients with a similar effect that do not have to be labelled as additives:

• ‘No artificial colourings’: Colouring is then often achieved using concentrates or powders made from fruit, vegetables or spices, which are generally not classified as colourings.
• “No artificial flavourings”: In most cases, it actually contains “natural flavouring”. This is derived from a natural raw material, though not necessarily from the fruit it tastes like – it could also come from wood shavings or sugar beet pulp.
• “No flavour-enhancing additives”: It may still contain glutamate, for example in the form of yeast extract, soya protein, soya sauce or seasoning.
• “Preservative-free by law”: Legally, the product must not contain any preservatives at all.

The rules are more specific when it comes to flavourings named after fruits: ‘Natural raspberry flavouring’ must consist of at least 95 per cent raspberries. We explain what this means for drinks in ‘What is natural flavouring?’.

Example: Two beverage cans at the checkout

We’re carrying out the test using two of our own varieties, exactly as they appear on the labels:

Two things are clearly evident here. ‘Acidifier: citric acid’ follows the pattern of ‘class name plus substance name’. And our Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate – is coloured using concentrates of carrot and blackcurrant, which are clearly listed in the ingredients. You can find all the varieties under ‘Flavoured water’.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Survey: Germans are sceptical about novel foods (lebensmittelzeitung.net, 27 October 2026), accessed on 28 October 2026. lebensmittelzeitung.net
2. EU-wide survey – Two-thirds of Germans are sceptical about novel foods (lebensmittelpraxis.de, 27 October 2026), accessed on 28 October 2026. lebensmittelpraxis.de
3. Novel Foods: Answers to frequently asked questions about novel foods (verbraucherzentrale.de), accessed on 28 October 2026. verbraucherzentrale.de
4. Innovative sugar alternatives: the opportunities and pitfalls of novel foods (verbraucherzentrale.de), accessed on 28 October 2026. verbraucherzentrale.de
5. Consumer Advice Centre: Food labelling: What information must be included?, as at 26 March 25. verbraucherzentrale.de
6. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): What the ingredients list reveals – and what it doesn’t, as at 11 July 2023. lebensmittelklarheit.de
7. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Sugar has many names, as at 9 February 2021. lebensmittelklarheit.de
8. Consumer Advice Centre: Sugar and sugar substitutes: How to spot sweeteners in food, as at 5 April 2024. verbraucherzentrale.de
9. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Sweetening additives: sugar substitutes and sweeteners, as at 24 February 2022. lebensmittelklarheit.de
10. Consumer Advice Centre: Identifying and classifying food additives, as at 25 November 25. verbraucherzentrale.de
11. Lebensmittelklarheit (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): ‘No additives’ – yet still coloured, flavoured and with enhanced flavour, as at 31 January 2019. lebensmittelklarheit.de
12. Food Transparency (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Flavourings: plenty of flavour, fewer natural ingredients, as at 11 September 26. lebensmittelklarheit.de
13. World Health Organisation (WHO): WHO calls on countries to reduce sugar intake among adults and children, 4 March 2015. who.int
14. DAG, DDG and DGE: Consensus paper: Quantitative recommendation on sugar intake in Germany, December 2018. dge.de
15. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Questions and answers on caffeine and caffeinated foods, including energy drinks, FAQ dated 5 January 2026. bfr.bund.de
16. ACQUA REAPER: Product labels, as at 26 July.
17. Acqua Reaper: Product label for Energy Blackcurrant, as at 07/26.