Kick the Fat USDA LABEL DEFINITIONS
(courtesy Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)
“FAT FREE” must contain less than ½ gram of fat per serving “SATURATED FAT FREE” must contain less than ½ gram of saturated fat per serving and less than ½ gram of transfat per reference amount customarily consumed and per serving.
“LOW SATURATED FAT” must contain less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving and not more than 15% of calories can derive from saturated fat.
“LOW FAT” must contain less than 3 grams of fat per serving (except milk).
“REDUCED SATURATED FAT” must contain 25% less saturated fat than the regular product.
“REDUCED FAT” (such as mayonnaise) must contain 25% less fat than the regular product.
“LIGHT” must contain 50% less fat than the regular product.
“NO CHOLESTEROL” means the product contains 2 milligrams or less of cholesterol per serving, but it may contain up to 2 grams of saturated fat – which can raise blood cholesterol.
“LOW CHOLESTEROL” must contain no more than 20 milligrams of cholesterol and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.
“REDUCED CHOLESTEROL” must contain 75% less cholesterol than the regular product.
“2% OR LOW-FAT MILK” contains 38% of calories from fat and 4.7 grams of fat per 8-ounce glass.
“1% MILK” contains 22% less of calories from fat and 2.5 grams of fat per glass.
“SKIM MILK” contains 4% of calories from fat and 0.4 grams of fat per glass.
“LOW-CAL” means 40 calories or less per serving (or when the serving size is small, 40 calories or less per 50 grams of the food). “REDUCED CALORIE” means 25% or less calories per serving than the regular item.
“CALORIE FREE” means less than 5 calories per serving.
“SODIUM FREE” means less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving (or per 50 grams of the food if the serving size is very small – i.e., when a serving is less than 30 grams or less than 2 tablespoons).
“LOW SODIUM” means 140 milligrams of sodium or less per serving (or when the serving size is small, per 50 grams of the food).
“VERY LOW SODIUM” means 35 milligrams of sodium or less per serving (or when the serving size is small, per 50 grams of the food).
“SUGARLESS” means contains no sucrose, but can contain other sugars such as corn syrup, dextrose, levulose, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, or natural sweeteners at less than ½ gram per serving.
“NO ADDED SUGAR” means no sugars or ingredients containing sugars are added during processing. If the product is not also a low or reduced calorie food, then it must state that and direct consumers to read the nutritional label. The regular product it resembles and replaces may contain added sugars.
“REDUCED SUGAR” means at least 25% less sugar per serving than the regular item.
“HIGH FIBER” means 5 grams of fiber or more per serving, plus the food must either meet low-fat standards or indicate the total fat content next to the high-fiber claim.
“GOOD SOURCE OF FIBER” means 2.5 to 4.9 grams per serving.
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