Claims | Requirements |
Calories |
Free | Fewer than 5 kCal/serving |
Low | 40 kCal or less per serving, or per 50 g of the food |
Reduced/less | At least 25% fewer kCal per serving than reference food |
Light/lite | If 50% or more of the kCal are from fat; fat must be reduced by at least 50% per reference amount. If less than 50% of kCal are from fat, fat must be reduced at least 50% or kCal reduced at least 1/3 per reference amount |
Fat |
Free | <0.5 g of fat per serving |
Low | 3 g or less per serving, or per 50 g of the food |
Reduced/less | At least 25% less per serving than reference food |
Light/lite | If 50% or more of the calories are from fat, fat must be reduced by at least 50% per reference amount. If less than 50% of calories are from fat, fat must be reduced at least 50% or calories reduced at least 1/3 per reference amount |
Sugar |
Free | <0.5 g per serving. |
Reduced | At least 25% less sugar per serving than reference food |
No added sugar, without added sugar, or no sugar added | No sugars are added during processing or packing |
Sodium |
Free | <5 mg per serving |
Low | 140 mg or less per serving, or per 50 g of the food |
Very low | 35 mg or less per serving, or per 50 g of the food |
Reduced/less | At least 25% less per serving than reference food |
Light | If food is low calorie and low fat and sodium is reduced by at least 50% |
Fiber |
High | 5 g or more per serving. (Foods with high fiber claims must meet the definition for low fat, or the level of total fat must appear next to the high fiber claim.) |
Good source of fiber | 2.5–4.9 g per serving |
More/added | At least 2.5 g more per serving than the reference food |
Other nutrient claims |
Healthy | Products using the term healthy in the product name or as a claim on the label must contain, per serving, no more than 3 g of fat, 1 g of saturated fat, 480 mg of sodium, or 60 mg of cholesterol. They must also supply at least 10% of the daily value for at least one of six nutrients: vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, protein and fiber. Raw meat, poultry, and fish can be labeled healthy if they contain, per serving, no more than 5 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol |
High, rich in or excellent source | 20% or more of the daily value for a given nutrient/serving |
Good source of, more or added | The food provides 10% more of the daily value for a given nutrient than the comparison food. The 10% of daily value also applies to fortified, enriched and added claims, but in those cases, the food must be altered. |
Source: A Food Labeling Guide. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2004. |