122. How to Decode Food Labels


How to Decode Nutrition Facts on Food Labels

Chapter 4

  1. Eating for Better Health

Here are some common label terms and what they mean:

  1. •Low calorie has 40 calories or less per serving.

  2. •Reduced calorie has 25% fewer calories than the regular or reference product.

  3. •Sugar-free has less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.

  4. •Sodium-free has less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.

  5. •Very low sodium has 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.

  6. •Low sodium has 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.

  7. •Reduced sodium has 25 percent less sodium than the reference product.

  8. •Lean has less than 10 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving and per 100 grams.

  9. •Low fat has 3 grams or less of fat per serving.

  10. •Low cholesterol has 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

Note: For updates and additional information, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food and Applied Nutrition at www.cfsan.gov.