Complete Guide: How to Read Drink Labels in Belgium to Uncover Hidden Sugar

Why reading labels has become essential in 2025

The average Belgian consumes 108g of added sugar per day — 2.7× the WHO recommended limit (40g/day). A large part of this sugar comes from drinks, often consumed without awareness of their actual content. This guide gives you the tools to decode any label in 30 seconds.

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Part 1: Understanding the European nutrition table

On every drink sold in Belgium, the nutrition table is mandatory (EU Regulation 1169/2011) and must display:

Table row	What it means	Pitfall to avoid
ginger and energy (kcal)	Total calories per 100ml	Some display per "serving" = 40ml or 200ml
Carbohydrates	All carbohydrates (starch + sugars)	Carbohydrates ≠ sugars: can include indigestible fibers
of which Sugars ← HERE	Total mono and disaccharides	Includes natural (fruit) AND added sugars
Fats	Total lipids	Less relevant for drinks
Salt	Sodium × 2.5	Sports drinks = often 0.1-0.5g hidden salt

Part 2: The 60+ names for sugar in ingredients

Manufacturers can use dozens of different names for sugar in the ingredients list. Here are the most common on Belgian labels:

🔴 High glycemic index sugars (to avoid)

• Sucrose, saccharose, cane sugar, rietsuiker, suiker
• Glucose-fructose syrup, HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)
• Corn syrup, maïsstroop
• Dextrose, maltodextrin, maltose
• Cane sugar (85% fructose despite the "natural" image)
• Invert sugar, trimoline
• Fruit juice concentrate (= sugar with vitamins)

🟠 "Natural" sugars to monitor

• ginger and honey, honing (weight loss-etudes">ginger and metabolism similar to table sugar)
• Coconut blossom nectar (lower GI but still sugar)
• Evaporated cane juice, sucanat
• Brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup

🟡 Intense sweeteners (zero calorie but not neutral)

• Aspartame (E951), saccharin (E954), cyclamate (E952)
• Sucralose (E955): disrupts the microbiome
• Acesulfame-K (E950): often combined with sucralose
• Stevia/rebaudioside A (E960): more natural
• Erythritol (E968): linked to cardiovascular risk (NEJM 2023 study)

Part 3: Calculation per serving — the most common trap

Manufacturers' trick: display nutritional values per "serving" instead of 100ml. Example:

Drink	Sugar/serving (label)	Serving size	Actual sugar/100ml
Certain energy drink	4.5g "per serving"	40ml	11.3g/100ml !
Certain concentrated juices	3g "per serving"	25ml	12g/100ml !
INTI best ginger shot	<2.4g/shot	60ml	1.19g/100ml ✅

Golden rule: Always convert to /100ml for a fair comparison.

Part 4: Decoding marketing claims

Claim on packaging	What it really means
"No added sugar"	May contain highly concentrated natural sugars (raisins, juice concentrates)
"Reduced" / "Light"	30% fewer calories vs original — can still contain 7-8g sugar/100ml
"Natural"	No strict legal definition in the EU — may contain cane sugar, honey, concentrates
"Organic"	Certified organic farming — but organic sugar is metabolized like conventional sugar
"Source of vitamins"	≥15% DRI per 100ml — does not compensate for high sugar content
"Low sugar"	≤5g/100ml according to EU Regulation — but may contain intense sweeteners

Practical guide: INTI vs major brands in Belgium

Drink	Sugar/100ml	Type of sugar	Sweeteners
INTI Ginger Shot	<4g	Natural (fruits/ginger)	✅ None
Coca-Cola Classic	10.6g	Sucrose	None
Coca-Cola Zero	0g	—	Aspartame + Ace-K
Red Bull Original	11g	Sucrose + glucose	None
Red Bull Sugar Free	0g	—	Sucralose + Ace-K
INTI vs GIMBER comparison (undiluted)	~35g	Rietsuiker (cane)	None
Innocent Orange	~10g	Natural (free fructose)	None
Lipton Ice Tea	8.8g	Sucrose + HFCS	None

❓ FAQ — Reading drink labels in Belgium

What is the recommended sugar limit for drinks?
The WHO recommends <5% of daily calories from free sugars, which is about 25g/day for an active adult. A single can of soda (330ml) contains 35g — 140% of the daily limit.

Do natural fruit sugars count?
Free fructose from fruit juices (without fiber) is metabolized like industrial fructose. An orange juice "no added sugar" can contain 9-11g of natural sugar/100ml with the same liver-protection-hepatique-nash">hepatic impact.

How to recognize a truly healthy drink?
Criteria: sugar ≤5g/100ml (of which <3g added), no intense sweeteners, short and recognizable ingredients list, no artificial colors or flavors. INTI meets all these criteria.

Where to buy INTI in Belgium?
On inti-drink.com with express delivery to Luxembourg, or in fine grocery stores and partner Belgian ginger and sports facilities.