Why 0g of Sugars Doesn't Mean "Lactose-Free": What I Learned at France's Biggest Cheese Trade Show

I went to the Salon Fromage et Produits Laitiers. Yes, me. A lactose-intolerant person. Surrounded by hundreds of producers, cheese makers, cheese-making schools, and dairy industry federations.

Sounds like a contradiction?

That's exactly why I went. My goal: to open a dialogue with the industry about a topic that affects roughly 15% of the French population. Lactose intolerance.

And I came back with an answer I'd been chasing for years.

The question that haunted me

You know the nutrition table on the back of every package? The famous "of which sugars" line?

Lactose is a sugar. When that line reads 0g, you'd reasonably conclude the product is lactose-free.

So why does no manufacturer print "lactose-free" on the label?

And while we're at it, here's another curiosity you've probably noticed. The same cheese, sold under the producer's brand in one store and under the retailer's private label in another, states "edible rind" in one case but not the other. Same product. Two different labels.

Let me explain. Because both questions have the same answer.

Labeling is law, not marketing

Food labels in Europe are governed by the INCO regulation (EU n. 1169/2011). This text requires information to be clear, legible, accurate, and not misleading.

Every claim on a package carries legal liability for whoever markets it. And here's the key: the producer and the retailer don't apply the same risk assessment criteria. Each runs its own compliance analysis.

Result: two different labels for the same product. It's not a bug. It's the system working as designed.

The heart of the problem: measurement uncertainty

Back to lactose. Nutritional values are established in laboratories based on multiple samples.

And these measurements carry a margin of tolerance.

Milk composition shifts slightly with the seasons. The manufacturing process fluctuates from batch to batch. Aging varies too. As in physics, total uncertainty is the sum of individual errors.

That zero on the label? It's a rounded figure. Not an absolute certainty.

Quality departments at production facilities make a choice that is, objectively, rational: don't claim "lactose-free" if the measurement margin can't guarantee it 100%. The legal risk doesn't justify the perceived commercial benefit.

I actually found this reassuring. It's not indifference toward lactose-intolerant consumers. It's rigor. Risk management.

Europe's patchwork of thresholds

To make things even more complex, there's no single threshold across the European Union for the "lactose-free" claim. Each country sets its own rules, when it has any.

Germany, Slovenia, and Hungary: 100 mg/100g. Denmark, Finland, and Sweden: 10 mg/100g. Ireland: zero detectable. Belgium: 2.5 mg/100 kJ as a practical benchmark. Canada simplifies with a single threshold of 0.1 g/100g.

And France? No explicit national threshold for general food products.

Here's why that matters. A producer exporting to multiple European countries would need to meet different thresholds depending on the destination. The compliance cost is disproportionate to the expected benefit. So nobody takes the risk.

What this means for lactose-intolerant consumers (and this is where it hurts)

This caution is understandable from the production side. But for consumers, the consequences are very real.

Many lactose-intolerant people end up completely excluding dairy. Out of caution. Out of fear of getting sick. Others turn to specifically labeled "lactose-free" products, often sold at a steep premium, when many traditional cheeses (long-aged hard cheeses, cooked pressed cheeses) naturally contain very little lactose.

To put a number on it: a Gouda labeled "lactose-free" can cost 29 euros per kilo, while a classic Gouda that's equally compatible sits at 6 euros per kilo. Multiply that across a year of groceries. The difference is enormous.

Cheese-making schools: an opportunity waiting to happen

I also spoke with representatives from cheese-making schools. And here's the good news.

Training future cheese professionals to understand lactose intolerance and advise affected customers at the point of sale would be a real differentiator for the profession. Several people I spoke with told me they found the idea compelling. It's not in the curriculum yet, but the openness is there.

Picture this: you walk into a cheese shop and the cheese maker spontaneously tells you, "This one, with your intolerance, you can go for it with your eyes closed." We're not there yet. But the conversations at the trade show convinced me the dialogue is possible.

In the meantime: objectify the risk

That's exactly why the lactose.help app exists: to let everyone assess the risk for each product and stop restricting themselves unnecessarily. The goal isn't to replace the cheese maker's advice. It's to give lactose-intolerant people the confidence to stop excluding everything by default.

And because living well with an intolerance is also a family affair, the paid plans include a family sharing mode. Your loved ones can shop for you with complete peace of mind. And we actively encourage sharing as widely as possible!

What's at stake

Taking lactose-intolerant consumers into account is a positive-sum game.

For consumers: more choice, better quality, at a reasonable price. For producers and cheese makers: an expanded market, loyal customers. Everyone wins. All that's left is to build the bridge.

And you, what do you think? Have you ever passed on a cheese out of caution, when it might have been perfectly compatible?

I'll see you very soon for another adventure!