Why do some ingredients show a quantity on the label while others do not?

Answer

An ingredient is any raw material or group of materials used in producing a food; flour, sugar, milk, fat, cocoa or fruit pieces are all ingredients. The regulation does not require a quantity to be stated for every ingredient; quantity declaration is mandatory only in defined situations. The quantity of an ingredient or ingredient group must appear on the label when: the ingredient is named in the name of the food (for example products described as "with olives" or "with cheese"), the consumer directly associates that ingredient with the product name (for example the minced meat in lahmacun), the ingredient is emphasised on the label in words, pictures or graphics, or the ingredient is needed to define the product or to distinguish it from similar products. The purpose is to prevent consumers from being misled and to make products comparable. So a missing quantity does not mean the information is being concealed; it means the regulation does not require a quantity declaration for that ingredient.