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What does the e-sign mean on a label ?

The e -sign on a food label indicates that the volume or weight of the product is an average value. Packaging machines in the food industry are not completely accurate; there will always be a margin of inaccuracy. Also, many products are not homogeneous, but contain lumps, pieces of fruits etc, which means that the same volume may have a different weight.

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For a producer to be sure that, for example, a package of 1 litre orange juice contains indeed at least 1 litre, the filling machine should be set at 1020 ml, or a margin of 2%. This, however, would cost the producer a lot of extra juice that are not paid. It would be better for the producer if the average of all packages is 1000 ml.

The e -sign on the label indicates the legally accepted average and margins for the product. The margins are:

The e -sign has nothing to do with E-numbers or additives !