After a long discussion within and between member states, the European Union (EU) register of authorized health claims for foodstuffs will be expanded in January 2014 to include the claim: “consumption of foods containing fructose leads to a lower blood glucose rise compared to foods containing sucrose or glucose” (see go.nature.com/tf2iov). This claim fails to mention some potentially harmful effects of fructose metabolism (see, for example, C. A. Lyssiotis and L. C. Cantley Nature 502, 181–182; 2013, and R. H. Lustig et al. Nature 482, 27–29; 2012).

As the European Food Safety Authority noted during the authorization process (see go.nature.com/dbjkxm), there is evidence that a high intake of fructose can lead to metabolic complications such as abnormal lipid levels, resistance to insulin and increased visceral adiposity.

Companies will be able to use this claim to promote sweetened foods and drinks, as long as at least 30% of the glucose or sucrose is replaced by fructose. Only stronger evidence for the risks of high fructose intake can stop this.