"98% fat free" question

[zeembl]

I don't really go and hunt down foods that advertise themselves at being super low in fat, prefering just to eat naturally healthy things. But this whole 98% fat free thing was bothering me a little.

Does 98% fat free mean the fat content of an item is only 2%? In which case say, something proclaiming to be 98% fat free (with <5g fat apparently) mean that ok, if 2% is fat, the other 98% must be other things like protein and carbs? This just doesn't strike me as right. If 2% is 5g, 1% would be 2.5g, therefore 98% would be 245g of protein or carbs. This is obviously impossible for the item in question - a filled bagel.

So am I completely misinterpretting the way "x% fat free" is supposed to be interpretted, or is it just a case of blatant false advertising?

[ratmonkey]

it tells you that there is only 2% of the normal amount of fat present in that "light" food product.

[edro13]

Ah... I have always wondered about this too...

[sfgiants13]

Originally posted by ratmonkey
it tells you that there is only 2% of the normal amount of fat present in that "light" food product.

Bump.

[bkman4]

Nope guys. 98% fat free means that only 2% of the cals come from fat. Look @ a sugar cookie. There was never that much fat to take out...but they still say 98% fat free. If you add the #'s up and it doesn't work, then the co. is lying about something...either the % or total cals. This is not uncommon.

[love_to_lift]

No. No. No. This just means that two-per-cent of the product's mass consists of fat. Some of it consists of carbs; some of it consists of protein; and much of it consists of water.

Consider the contents of a protein shake. How heavy is the actual protein powder, opposed to the water it's mixed with? The powder usually consists of 25-or-so grams of protein, a few grams of carbs, and a few grams of fat. The water, however, accounts for a majority of the mass.

[MCconditioner]

However, when you are shopping for milk remember the following:

Whole Milk: 3-4% Fat
2%: 2% Fat
1%: 1% Fat
Skim: 0% Fat

[such a loser yo]

Originally posted by MCconditioner
However, when you are shopping for milk remember the following:

Whole Milk: 3-4% Fat
2%: 2% Fat
1%: 1% Fat
Skim: 0% Fat

on a side note, i don't know how anyone could drink whole milk. this has nothing to do with nutrition, but the stuff is so thick and nasty.

[bkman4]

Originally posted by such a loser yo
on a side note, i don't know how anyone could drink whole milk. this has nothing to do with nutrition, but the stuff is so thick and nasty.

Now you do. I love it. Could drink 1/2 and 1/2.

[liquidvet]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/reform4.htm

Here is a good article that helps with label deciphering. About halfway down the page it speaks a little about how to understand the fat content of fat free items.

Basically if the items says it is 98% fat free, that is the percent free per 100 grams of that food item. So basically it has 2 grams of fat per 100 grams of substance.

[taffer]

there are probly a million ways to put a spin on "98% fat free" after all it makes the product sell!