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.
