Food label checker

Type in the per 100 g figures from the back and see the colours the UK guidance would give, plus what a portion adds up to.

Your details

Traffic lights for this food

0 green, 0 red

A middling choice

Fat 12.0 g per 100 gAmber (medium), 5.4 g a portion
Saturates 4.0 g per 100 gAmber (medium), 1.8 g a portion
Sugars 8.0 g per 100 gAmber (medium), 3.6 g a portion
Salt 1.1 g per 100 gAmber (medium), 0.5 g a portion

More greens is the quick rule when comparing two similar products. Reds are not banned, just worth having less often or in smaller amounts.

The working

The UK thresholds

Per 100 g of food	Green (low)	Amber	Red (high)
Fat	3 g or less	up to 17.5 g	over 17.5 g
Saturates	1.5 g or less	up to 5 g	over 5 g
Sugars	5 g or less	up to 22.5 g	over 22.5 g
Salt	0.3 g or less	up to 1.5 g	over 1.5 g

Drinks use half the food thresholds (salt 0.75 g). For portions over 100 g (150 ml for drinks), a nutrient is also red if one portion holds more than 30% of an adult's reference intake (15% for drinks): for food that is 21 g of fat, 6 g of saturates, 27 g of sugars or 1.8 g of salt.

The example (12, 4, 8, 1.1) is amber for all four.

Reading it

Ambers and greens are fine to mix

A food does not need to be all green. Olive oil is red for fat and still a healthy choice; cheese is red for saturates and brings calcium. The lights are for comparing similar products, like two pasta sauces, at a glance.

Reference intakes

What "% RI" means

The percentages on labels compare a portion with an average adult's reference intake: 2,000 kcal, 70 g fat, 20 g saturates, 90 g sugars and 6 g salt. The 90 g of sugars includes milk and fruit sugars, which is why it is higher than the 30 g free sugar limit.

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Fibre and proteinLabels do not colour these, though they matter.
Free sugarsThe sugars line mixes added and natural sugars.
IngredientsRead the ingredients list too, in order of weight.

Questions

Common questions

What do the traffic lights on food mean?

Red is high, amber medium and green low, for fat, saturates, sugars and salt per 100 g. They help compare similar foods.

Is a red label bad?

No. It means "have it less often or in smaller amounts", not "never".

Why do drinks have different thresholds?

People drink larger amounts, so the per 100 ml limits are lower.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If food feels hard

If eating, weight or food is on your mind a lot, you are not alone. Your GP can help, and Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).