Fruit juice labels will have to indicate the amount of sugar from 2026. New category introduces “fruit juices with reduced sugar content”, but with rules.
Fruit juices sold in Portugal will have new labels from 2026 onwards, with the aim of making information clearer to consumers about the quantity and origin of the sugars present.
The change results from a decree-law in the Official Gazette, which transposes a European directive into national legislation and introduces new labeling possibilities, for voluntary use by producers.
The main new feature is the creation of a specific category for “fruit juices with reduced sugar content”. For a product to use this designation, the sugar reduction must be at least 30% compared to the original juice, and cannot have added sweeteners or sweeteners.
The diploma provides three hypotheses label within this logic: “fruit juice with reduced sugar content”, which can result from mixing reduced juice with juice, purée, or both; “fruit juice with reduced sugar content obtained from a concentrated product”, made by reconstituting concentrate with the same minimum reduction; and “concentrated fruit juice with reduced sugar content”, when there is a physical elimination of water that allows the expected reduction.
The decree-law also allows producers to indicate, voluntarily, that the juices “contain only naturally present sugars”, reinforcing the distinction between the fruit’s intrinsic sugar and added sugar.
There are still changes in the nectarswith the setting of a maximum limit of sugar or honey to be added to products naturally low in acidity. The legal text also authorizes the use of sunflower seed proteins as a clarifying agent and harmonizes the name “coconut water” with “coconut juice”.
The definitive application date is June 14, 2026. Until then, products labeled or placed on the market before that date may continue to be sold until stocks run out.
