Reading Food Labels

Definitions of Claims on Food Labels

The following definitions of nutrition labels will help you to understand exactly what is in the foods you buy:
 
Free – the product contains no or only a trivial amount of one or more of the following:
 
  • fat
  • saturated fat
  • cholesterol
  • sodium
  • sugars
  • calories
  • Low – this means a large quantity of the food can be eaten without exceeding the Recommended Dietary Value for the nutrient
  • Calorie free – fewer than 5 calories per serving
  • Cholesterol free – less than 2 mg of cholesterol & 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving
  • Fat-free – less than 0.5 g per serving
  • Sodium-free – less than 5 mg of sodium per serving. Sugar free – less than 0.5 g per serving
  • Low calorie – contains 40 calories or less in a serving
  • Low Cholesterol – 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving
  • Low fat – contains 3 g or less per serving
  • Low saturated fat – contains 1 g or less per serving
  • Low Sodium – contains 140 mg or less per serving
  • Very low sodium – contains 35 mg or less per serving
  • Lean – used in the description of the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats. Less than 10 g fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving for every 100 g of product
  • Extra Lean – less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving for every 100 g of product
  • Good source – this means that one serving has 10 to 19 percent of the RDA for a particular nutrient.
  • High – used when food contains 20% or more of the RDA for a nutrient in one serving
  • Light – this term can mean two things:
  • A nutritionally altered product has 1/3 fewer calories or 1/2 the fat of the referenced food
  • The sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been decreased by 50%
  • Less – a food, altered or not, contains 25% less of a nutrient or of calories than the referenced food.
  • More – a serving contains a nutrient that is at least 10% of the Daily Value more than the referenced food. This term also applies to “fortified,” “enriched,” and “added,” when the food has been altered.
  • Percent fat-free – the product with this claim must be low-fat or fat-free. It reflects the amount of fat in 100 grams of the product. For example: 95% fat-free would have 5 g fat for every 100 g of product.
  • Reduced – The nutritionally altered product has 25% less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular, or referenced, product.