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Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

blog.alexwendland.com

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Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#21
post #14
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as a counterpoint, in Europe the requirement is to specify nutrition data per 100 g of "usable" product. Some products are e.g. intended to be added to water before consumption, then the nutrition is for that final form, not for the concentrate that you actually buy. But it's really practical, it makes it dead easy to e.g. compare calories, sugar, fat and so on between e.g. milk and apple sauce (to take random e…

In Europe, lactose is sugar. I am drinking an energy drink with a big "zero calories + zero sugar" label. On the nutritional content, it actually says 2 kcal per 100 ml even though there is <0.1g carbs in the recipe.

Additives and artificial sweeteners still have calories. E.g. 1g of citric acid is about 2.5 kcal.

Also it's fun how can they name something "energy drink" and then advertise no calories. Where do I get the energy then?

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#22
post #15

What products have secret lactose in them? I had no idea it was used as an additive.

famously different type of dry sausages, e.g fuet.

Although, I'd not call it 'secret', at least in the vast majority of the EU, it is listed. It's another story it's listed in the local language which is rather "unpleasant" (inconvenient) if you travel (esp. road trips)

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#23
post #13
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as a counterpoint, in Europe the requirement is to specify nutrition data per 100 g of "usable" product. Some products are e.g. intended to be added to water before consumption, then the nutrition is for that final form, not for the concentrate that you actually buy. But it's really practical, it makes it dead easy to e.g. compare calories, sugar, fat and so on between e.g. milk and apple sauce (to take random e…

> in Europe the requirement is to specify nutrition data per 100 g of "usable" product Source? that doesn't seem true and seems prone to the same serving size tricks used in US. My experience it that nutritional values per 100g of product (actual raw product no matter what its final form is supposed to be) are always listed first. Then if you're supposed to mix it with water there can be e.g., optionally, a nutrition…

~It's true.~ Edit: sorry I misread the previous comment. It's 100g "as sold". Not "as prepared".

> All the information must be expressed per 100g or per 100ml. It may also, in addition, be expressed per portion or per consumption unit of the product.

https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/labelling-and-nutrition/foo...

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#24
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It says 94g sugar/100g.

It does in sane countries where nutrition labels are required to also include the per-100g stats. But in North America, they only need to show the per-serving column. Combine that with the <0.5g rule and the fact they are allowed to pick the serving size, you end up with tic tacs which don't mention any sugar on their labels.

I see, that is quite malicious. I'm surprised they have a 0.5g rule, why don't they use oz for that?

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#25

Famously, Tic Tacs are less than .5g and so contain 0 sugar on the label even though they are pretty much entirely sugar.

[dead]

It's funny, though they are literally pure coloured sugar yet are also somehow magically calory free

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#26
post #21
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, lactose is sugar. I am drinking an energy drink with a big "zero calories + zero sugar" label. On the nutritional content, it actually says 2 kcal per 100 ml even though there is <0.1g carbs in the recipe.

Additives and artificial sweeteners still have calories. E.g. 1g of citric acid is about 2.5 kcal. Also it's fun how can they name something "energy drink" and then advertise no calories. Where do I get the energy then?

Caffeine, taurine, b vitamins.

Plus the placebo effect which is the only reason you get instant energy from any kind of energy drink. Even pure liquid sucrose takes at least 30 minutes to digest (aside from a negligible amount that's digested in the mouth.

There's some interesting studies that show energy gain during a workout from just rinsing your mouth with an energy drink and not swallowing any.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916844/

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#27
post #21
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, lactose is sugar. I am drinking an energy drink with a big "zero calories + zero sugar" label. On the nutritional content, it actually says 2 kcal per 100 ml even though there is <0.1g carbs in the recipe.

Additives and artificial sweeteners still have calories. E.g. 1g of citric acid is about 2.5 kcal. Also it's fun how can they name something "energy drink" and then advertise no calories. Where do I get the energy then?

Caffeine. It's not energy in the physics sense.

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#28
post #21
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, lactose is sugar. I am drinking an energy drink with a big "zero calories + zero sugar" label. On the nutritional content, it actually says 2 kcal per 100 ml even though there is <0.1g carbs in the recipe.

Additives and artificial sweeteners still have calories. E.g. 1g of citric acid is about 2.5 kcal. Also it's fun how can they name something "energy drink" and then advertise no calories. Where do I get the energy then?

> Where do I get the energy then?

You don't. You get stimulants instead. Such as caffeine.

Re: Can a product with "0g sugar" contain lactose?

#29
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It says 94g sugar/100g.

It does in sane countries where nutrition labels are required to also include the per-100g stats. But in North America, they only need to show the per-serving column. Combine that with the <0.5g rule and the fact they are allowed to pick the serving size, you end up with tic tacs which don't mention any sugar on their labels.

> But in North America, they only need to show the per-serving column.

As someone who is from Europe and tracks their calories, I find it appalling and it makes calorie tracking more inconvenient

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