Guidelines for Food Label Claims
Guidelines for Food Label Claims
By law food manufacturers must follow specific guidelines on their food
labels with the purpose of informing consumers of the nutritional content
of the food and to protect against misleading statements on food labels.
Fat free—must have less than 0.5 grams per serving
Saturated fat free—must contain less than 0.5 grams per serving
Cholesterol free—must contain less than 2 milligrams per serving
Sugar free—must contain less than 0.5 grams per serving
Sodium free—must contain less than 5 milligrams per serving
Calorie free—must contain less than 5 calories per serving
Low fat—must contain no more than 3 grams of fat per serving
Low sodium—must contain less than 40 milligrams per serving
Low calories—must contain less than 40 calories per serving
Low cholesterol—must contain less than 20 milligrams per serving
High or good source—one serving must contain at least 20 percent or more of the
recommendation for that nutrient
Reduced, less, or fewer—must contain at least 25 percent less of a nutrient, per
serving, compared with the same nutrient in a reference food
More or added—must contain at least 10 percent more of the daily value for a
nutrient compared with a reference food
Light or lite—the food have at least 50 percent less fat than a similar, unmodified
food which, in its unmodified form contains more than 50 percent of its calories
from fat
Lean (meat, fish, poultry)—must contain less than 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of
saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams of the food
Extra lean—must contain less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and
95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams of the food
Fresh—food must be unprocessed, in raw state, and never frozen
Source: The Nutritionist, Robert Wildman
