Terms Used on Food Labels

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Energy Terms:

Diet, Dietetic
Term used to indicate that a food is either a low-calorie or a reduced-calorie food.
Low calorie
containing no more than 40 calories per serving
Reduced calorie
Containing 25 percent fewer calories per serving than a "regular" product


Fat Terms (meat and poulty products)

Extra lean
Contains not more than 5 grams of fat, no more than 2 grams of saturated fat, and not more than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving
Lean
Contains not more than 10 grams of fat, not more than 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving


Fat and Cholesterol Terms (all products)

Fat free
Containing 0.5 grams or less of fat per serving
Low cholesterol
Containing fewer than 20 mg of cholesterol per serving and fewer than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving
Low fat
Containing 3 grams or less of fat per serving
Percent fat free
May be used only if the product meets the definition of low fat or fat free. Requires disclosure of grams of fat per 100 gram food
Reduced saturated fat
Containing 25 percent or less of the saturated fat in the comparison food and reduced by more than 1 gram per serving
Saturated fat free
Containing 0.5 grams or less of saturated fat and 0.5 grams or less of trans-fatty acids


Sodium Terms

Low sodium
Containing 140 mg or fewer sodium per serving
Very low sodium
Containing 35 mg or less sodium per serving


Other Terms

Free, without, no, zero
Containing no amount or a trivial amount. Calorie-free means containing fewer than 5 calories per serving; sugar-free or fat-free means containing less than half a gram per serving
Fresh
Raw, unprocessed or minimally processed with no added preservatives
Good source
Provides 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value per serving
Healthy
A term allowable in food names, so long as the food is low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium
High
Provides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value per serving
Imitation food
This term must be used to describe a food intended to replace a standard food, if the replacement food lacks one or more nutrients provided by the original food. For example, imitation cheese for pizza lacks the calcium of real mozzarella cheese
Less, fewer
Provides 25 percent less of a nutrient or calories than a reference food. This may occur naturally or as a result of altering the food. For example, pretzels, which are usually low in fat, can claim to provide less fat than potatoe chips, a comparable food
Light
This descriptor has 3 meanings on labels: (1) a serving provides one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the regular product. (2) a serving of a low-calorie, low-fat food provides half the sodium normally present. (3) the product is light in color and texture, so long as the label makes this intent clear, as in "light brown sugar"
More
Contains 10 percent more of the Daily Value than a comparable food. The nutrient may be added or may occur naturally
Reduced
Altered to provide 25 percent less of a nutrient or calories than a "regular" product


Source: The New Food Label, FDA Backgrounder, 10 December 1992