Fun Facts on Food Labels!

March is National Nutrition Month! and this month’s Fun Facts on Food Labels will help prevent consumer confusion by teaching readers what the nutrient content claims on packages represent and how they are defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information on National Nutrition Month, please visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Food Label Says…	One serving of chosen food contains…
Calorie free	Less than 5 calories
Sugar free	Less than 0.5 grams of sugar
Fat free	Less than 0.5 grams of fat
Low fat	3 grams of fat or less
Reduced fat or less fat	At least 25 percent less fat than regular product
Low in saturated fat	1 gram of saturated fat or less, with not more than 15 percent of the calories coming from saturated fat
Lean	Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol
Extra lean	Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol
Light (lite)	At least one-third fewer calories or no more than half the fat of the regular product, or no more than half the sodium of the regular product
Cholesterol free	Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams (or less) of saturated fat
Low cholesterol	20 or fewer milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol	At least 25 percent less cholesterol than the regular product and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
Sodium free or no sodium	Less than 5 milligrams of sodium and no sodium chloride in ingredients
Very low sodium	35 milligrams or less of sodium
Low sodium	140 milligrams or less of sodium
Reduced or less sodium	At least 25 percent less sodium than the regular product
High fiber	5 grams or more of fiber
Good source of fiber	2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber

Reference:
American Heart Association. (September 1, 2010). Reading Food Nutrition Labels. Retrieved on February 5, 2013, from 
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HeartSmartShopping/Reading-Food-Nutrition-Labels_UCM_300132_Article.jsp