Cola — sugar-free: how many calories?

What do these numbers mean on the plate?

Cola — sugar-free carries 0.0 calories per gram: it takes — grams to reach 100 calories. In this band the portion is hard to misjudge by eye, because piling up calories means genuinely filling the plate.

A typical portion is 330 g. Because tables are written per 100 grams, counting the portion as 100 grams too is a common mistake; for Cola — sugar-free that means understating the calories by 70%.

Calories in a drink go down without chewing, so they turn into little sense of fullness; the same calories from solid food would have covered part of a meal.

Household measure equivalents

A cup measures 200 millilitres, not 200 grams; the grams in the table therefore come from the food's own bulk density rather than from volume. Packing the cup down or chopping more finely shifts the figure by 10-20%. Convert your own measure

How much of the daily reference intake?

The reference values are the figures EU Regulation 1169/2011 gives for an average adult — the %RI column on labels rests on the same numbers. They are not a personal target; the fibre row is not in the regulation, the 25 grams there is EFSA's adequate intake for adults. Work out your own calorie needs

Where does it sit within its group?

It is number 1 of the 13 foods in the Drinks group by calories per 100 grams. The group averages 32 kcal; Cola — sugar-free is 100% below that average.

Cola — sugar-free is the lowest-calorie food in its group; there is no lighter alternative at the same weight.

Foods with similar calories

• Cucumber100 g · 15 kcal
• Tomato100 g · 18 kcal
• Water100 g · 0 kcal
• Tea — unsweetened100 g · 1 kcal
• Turkish coffee — unsweetened100 g · 2 kcal
• Almond milk — unsweetened100 g · 15 kcal

Which claims could its label carry?

EU Regulation 1924/2006 ties every label claim to a numeric threshold. Cola — sugar-free meets 2 of them:

• Energy-free100 ml → 0 kcal · threshold: at most 4 kcal
• Fat-free100 ml → 0.0 g fat · threshold: at most 0.5 g

A claim on a label rests on that product's OWN laboratory analysis, whereas the numbers here come from average composition tables. The list is therefore not a permit but an estimate of which side of the threshold a product sits on. For drinks, the calorie and fat thresholds are set per 100 millilitres and are lower. Interpret your own label