No common limit values have so far been defined at EU level for the lactose content of low-lactose and lactose-free food products. The following values have for quite some time been applied in Finland as Nordic limit values:
- lactose-free foods – lactose content less than 10 mg/100 g or 100 ml
- low lactose foods – lactose content less than 1 g/100 g or 100 ml
The limit values are based on Nordic report "Nordiske Seminar- og Arbejdsrapporter 1993:557" (Nordic Seminar and Working Reports). Finnish Food Authority advises compliance with these limit values until limit values are possibly stipulated at EU level.
As part of the preparation of regulations regarding lactose-free and low lactose food products, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has at the invitation of the Commission issued a scientific opinion on lactose thresholds in lactose intolerance and galactosemia.