The Low-Down On Food Label Claims!
It can be confusing when the goal is to eat healthy, yet when we read the food
labels, we sometimes ask ourselves "What does all the jargon mean?"
Here are the main label claims used on food
packages--and what they mean:
- Saturated
Fat--
*Saturated fat free: Less than 1/2 gram
saturated fat in a serving; levels of trans fatty acids must be not more
than 1 percent of total fat.
**Low saturated fat: 1 gram saturated fat
or less in a serving and 15 percent or less of calories from saturated
fat. For a meal or main dish (like a frozen dinner): 1 gram saturated fat
or less in 100 grams of food and less than 10 percent of calories from
saturated fat.
- Cholesterol--
*Cholesterol free: Less than 2 milligrams
(mg) cholesterol in a serving; saturated fat content must be 2 grams or
less in a serving.
**Low cholesterol: 20 mg cholesterol or
less in a serving; saturated fat content must be 2 grams or less in a
serving. For a meal or main dish: 20 mg cholesterol or less in 100 grams
of food, with saturated fat content less than 2 grams in 100 grams of
food.
- Fat--
*Fat free: Less than 1/2 gram fat in a
serving.
**Low fat: 3 grams total fat or less in a
serving. For a meal or main dish: 3 grams total fat or less in 100 grams
of food and not more than 30 percent calories from fat.
Percent fat free--A food with this claim
must also meet the low fat claim.
- Calories--
*Calorie free: Less than 5 calories in a
serving.
**Low calorie: 40 calories or less in a
serving.
- Sodium--
*Sodium free: Less than 5 mg sodium in a
serving.
**Low sodium: 140 mg sodium or less in a
serving. For a meal or main dish: 140 mg sodium or less in 100 grams of
food.
Very low sodium: 35 mg sodium or less in a
serving.
*Words that mean the same thing as free:
"no," "zero," "without," "trivial
source of," "negligible source of," and "dietary
insignificant source of."
**Words that mean the same thing as low:
"contains a small amount of" and "low source of."
- Light -- A product has been changed to
have half the fat or one-third fewer calories than the regular product; or
the sodium in a low calorie, low fat food has been cut by 50 percent; or a
meal or main dish is low fat or low calorie.
"Light" also may be used to
describe things like the color or texture of a food, as long as the label
explains this: for example, "light brown sugar" or "light
and fluffy."
- Reduced/Less/Lower/Fewer--A food
(like a lower-fat hot dog or a lower-sodium cracker) has at least 25
percent less of something like calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
or sodium than the regular food or a similar food to which it is compared.
- Lean and Extra Lean--Two
terms--"lean" and "extra lean"--are used to describe
the fat content of meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish.
- Lean--Less than 10 grams fat, 4.5
grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol in a
serving.
- Extra lean--Less than 5 grams fat,
less than 2 grams saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol in a
serving.
(Source: National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute-National Institutes Of Health)Last Editorial Review: 7/9/2002
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