Making Sense of Food Label Terms

One of the most confusing aspects of shopping can be trying to interpret the meaning behind some of the most common food label terms.  I mean what does "reduced calorie" really mean?  This confusion over the labeling of foods and food manufacturers attempts to sway the consumer with creative catch phrases, has led to the FDA regulating and mandating language that is to be used to describe the nutritional value of foods.  The following is a quick guide to understanding food labeling terms.

These terms describe the amount of energy or calories found in a food:

Low Calorie:  Food must have 40 calories or fewer per serving size.

Reduced Calorie:  Food must have at least a twenty five percent reduction in calories over the same regular food.

Calorie Free:  Food must contain fewer than five calories per serving.

These terms describe the amount of fat found in meat and poultry products:

Lean:  Meat or Poultry must have less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving, and less than 10 grams of total fat per serving, and less than 4 grams of combined saturated and trans fat per serving.

Extra Lean:  Meat or Poultry must have less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving, and less than five grams of total fat per serving, and less than 2 grams of combined saturated and trans fat per serving. 

These terms describe the amount of fiber found in foods:

High Fiber:  Foods must contain a total of at least five grams of fiber for each and every serving.

Good Source of Fiber:  Foods that contain 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving.

Added Fiber:  Food must contain an additional 2.5 grams of fiber more than a similar regular food of the same kind for the same serving size.

These terms describe the amount of sodium found in foods:

Low Sodium:  Food must have less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Reduced Sodium:  Food must have twenty five percent less sodium per serving as compared to the same regular food.

Very Low Sodium:  Food has less than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Sodium Free:  Food must contain less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving. 

Using this new system of food labeling terms can help you as a consumer make better and healthier food choices.