- Introduction
- Nutrient Claims
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Nutrient Claims Can Help You Choose Healthy Foods
Ever wonder what the difference is between fat free, saturated fat free, low fat, and reduced fat? Find out more information about nutrient claims and how they can help you make better food choices for you and your family.
Introduction
you ever find yourself in the grocery store looking at the advertising on the front of a box of cereal or a bag of chips and wonder what the difference is between fat free, reduced fat and low fat? Has a “lite” salad dressing or the label on a can of peaches that reads “no added sugar” caught your eye?
These are examples of nutrient claims that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nutrient claims are usually located on the front side of a product so that it is visible to the shopper. For example, if you walk down the cereal isle you might see the claim “high fiber” on the front of several different brands. This means that any product that states “high fiber” has at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Before the FDA implemented regulations defining what terms may be used to describe a nutrient in a food there were no guidelines for food manufacturers. That made it tough for consumers to compare foods based on their nutritional content. Now that all the manufacturers must meet these strict criteria to make a nutrient claim, it makes shopping for food a lot easier.
Nutrient Claims
Learning about nutrient claims can be overwhelming with all the definitions. The table below covers several of the nutrient claims. It might be worthwhile to print out the list for the next time you go to the grocery store. Plan your trip to the store when you have time to read labels and compare brands. The first couple of times you go shopping will probably take a bit longer as you compare labels and look at the definitions of each claim. Take your child along and encourage him or her to compare foods and decide what product is the best choice.
Print this Handy Nutrient Claims Reference chart
| Nutrient Claim | means… |
| Calorie free | less than 5 calories per serving |
| Low calorie | 40 calories or less per serving |
| Fat free | Less than 0.5grams of fat per serving |
| Low fat | 3grams or less of total fat |
| Low saturated fat | 1gram of less saturated fat per serving |
| Saturated fat free | Less than 0.5g of saturated fat per serving and the amount of trans fatty acids does not exceed 1% of the total fat |
|
Reduced fat Less fat | At least 25% less fat than the regular version |
| Sugar free | Less than 0.5g of sugar per serving |
| Reduced sugar | At least 25% less sugar per serving than the regular version |
| High fiber | 5g or more fiber per serving |
| Good source of fiber | 2.5g to 4.9g of fiber per serving |
| Cholesterol free | Less than 2mg per serving |
| Low cholesterol | 20mg or less per serving |
|
Reduced cholesterol Less cholesterol | At least 25% less cholesterol per serving than the regular version |
|
Sodium free Salt free | Less than 5mg of sodium per serving |
| Very low sodium | 35 mg or less of sodium per serving |
| Low sodium | 140mg of sodium or less |
|
Reduced sodium Less sodium | At least 25% less sodium per serving than the regular version |
|
Good Source of… Contains… Provides… | these terms mean that one serving of a food contains 10-19% of the Daily Value |
|
Excellent Source of… High in… Rich in… | these terms mean that one serving of a food contains 20% or more of the Daily Value |
|
Lean Meat, poultry, seafood and game meat with less than 10g fat, 4g saturated fat, and 95 mg cholesterol per serving. | |
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Extra lean Meat, poultry, seafood and game meat with less than 5g fat, 2g saturated fat, and 95mg cholesterol per serving. | |
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Lite or Light This can mean two things. The product can have 50% less fat than the higher fat version or the product contains 1/3 fewer calories. For example Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream contains 150 calories per ½ cup serving and 10 grams of fat. The Dreyer’s light ice cream contains 100 calories per ½ cup serving and 3.5 grams of fat. The term “light” can also refer to the texture and color as long as the label explains it. For example, “light brown sugar” or “light olive oil.” | |
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Reduced in… This claim means that the product contains at least 25% less of a nutrient than the regular version. For example, Nabisco’s Original Oreo cookies contain 160 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving. The reduced fat version contains 150 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. Other words for “reduced in” include “lower in” and “fewer.” |
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The field of nutrition is continuously changing as we learn more and more. These nutrient claims are designed to be flexible enough to change with new scientific understanding as needed. By knowing the definition of these terms used by food manufacturers, you will have the tools to be able to make wise choices for you and your family.
Lastly, don’t get too caught up on the nutrient claims. Remember that these claims give a general idea of a food’s nutrient content. Always refer to the Nutrition Facts Label for the exact amount of nutrients and calories in a product.
Note: To learn more about nutrient claims visit the FDA’s Center For Food Safety And Applied Nutrition.
