Food Labels - FDA definitions

[randynoles]

If this is a repost, please let me know and I'll remove it. I just thought others might be interested in seeing the actual FDA definition of some of these terms.


Percent Fat Free
A product bearing this claim must be a low fat or a fat free product. In addition, the claim must accurately reflect the amount of fat present in 100 g of the food. Thus, if a food contains 2.5 g fat per 50 g, the claim must be "95 percent fat free."

Healthy
A "healthy" food must be low in fat and saturated fat and contain limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium. In addition, if it's a single-item food, it must provide at least 10 percent of one or more of vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber. Exempt from this "10-percent" rule are certain raw, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain cereal-grain products. These foods can be labeled "healthy," if they do not contain ingredients that change the nutritional profile, and, in the case of enriched grain products, conform to standards of identity, which call for certain required ingredients. If it's a meal-type product, such as frozen entrees and multi-course frozen dinners, it must provide 10 percent of two or three of these vitamins or minerals or of protein or fiber, in addition to meeting the other criteria. The sodium content cannot exceed 360 mg per serving for individual foods and 480 mg per serving for meal-type products.

Free
This term means that a product contains no amount of, or only trivial or "physiologically inconsequential" amounts of, one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and calories. For example, "calorie free" means fewer than 5 calories per serving and "sugar free" and "fat free" both mean less than 0.5 g per serving. Examples of synonyms for "free" include "without," "no" and "zero." A synonym for fat-free milk is "skim."

Low
This term can be used on foods that can be eaten frequently without exceeding dietary guidelines for one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Thus, descriptors are defined as follows:


low-fat: 3 g or less per serving

low-saturated fat: 1 g or less per serving

low-sodium: 140 mg or less per serving

very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving

low-cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving

low-calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
Synonyms for low include "little," "few," "low source of," and "contains a small amount of."

Lean/Extra Lean
These terms can be used to describe the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats.

lean: less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.
extra lean: less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.


High
This term can be used if the food contains 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient in a serving.

Good source
This term means that one serving of a food contains 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient.

Reduced
This term means that a nutritionally altered product contains at least 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular, or reference, product. However, a reduced claim can't be made on a product if its reference food already meets the requirement for a "low" claim.

Less
This term means that a food, whether altered or not, contains 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the reference food. For example, pretzels that have 25 percent less fat than potato chips could carry a "less" claim. "Fewer" is an acceptable synonym.

Light
This descriptor can mean two things:

First, that a nutritionally altered product contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food. If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from fat, the reduction must be 50 percent of the fat.

Second, that the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been reduced by 50 percent. In addition, "light in sodium" may be used on food in which the sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent.

The term "light" still can be used to describe such properties as texture and color, as long as the label explains the intent-for example, "light brown sugar" and "light and fluffy."


Fresh
Although not mandated by NLEA, FDA has issued a regulation for the term "fresh." The agency took this step because of concern over the term's possible misuse on some food labels.

The regulation defines the term "fresh" when it is used to suggest that a food is raw or unprocessed. In this context, "fresh" can be used only on a food that is raw, has never been frozen or heated, and contains no preservatives. (Irradiation at low levels is allowed.) "Fresh frozen," "frozen fresh," and "freshly frozen," can be used for foods that are quickly frozen while still fresh. Blanching (brief scalding before freezing to prevent nutrient breakdown) is allowed.

Other uses of the term "fresh," such as in "fresh milk" or "freshly baked bread," are not affected.

More
This term means that a serving of food, whether altered or not, contains a nutrient that is at least 10 percent of the Daily Value more than the reference food. The 10 percent of Daily Value also applies to "fortified," "enriched" and "added" "extra and plus" claims, but in those cases, the food must be altered.

Not a significant source
When the statement "Not a significant source of_____________" is used for more than one nutrient, nutrients must be listed in the order in which they would have been listed in the regular format; (e.g., "Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugars, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron"). The footnote can be used, with any format, to list one or more of the following nutrients;

Calories from Fat: when the food contains less than 5 calories from fat.
Saturated Fat: when the food contains less than 0.5 grams of total fat per serving and if no claims are made about fat or cholesterol content and if no claims are made about calories from fat.
Cholesterol: when the food contains less than 2 milligrams cholesterol per serving and makes no claim about fat, fatty acids or cholesterol.
Dietary Fiber: when a serving contains less than 1 gram of dietary fiber.
Sugars: when a serving contains less than 1 gram of sugar and no claims are made about sweeteners, sugars, or sugar alcohol content.
Vitamins/Minerals: when a serving contains less than 2% of the RDI.


FDA/CFSAN Booklet, August 1993: Food Labeling Questions and Answers.