What is a Nutrient Claim?
Ever wonder what “low fat” or “high fiber” really means? Nutrient content claims describe a food and the level of a particular nutrient in that food. “Low fat” and “High fiber” are both examples of nutrient content claims. These types of claims usually appear on the front of a package and are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA requires that the industry follow guidelines when making these claims.
Common Nutrient Claims and Descriptors
| TERM | DESCRIPTION |
| Calorie free | Less than 5 calories per serving |
| Low calorie | 40 calories or less per serving |
| Sugar free | Less than .5 g per serving |
| No added sugar | No sugar, or sugar-containing ingredient, added during processing or packaging |
| Fat free | Less than .5 g per serving |
| Low fat | 3 g or less per serving |
| Cholesterol free | Less than 2 mg of cholesterol and 2 g or less saturated fat per serving |
| Salt or sodium free | Less than 5 mg per serving |
| Low sodium | 140 mg or less per serving |
| High in or excellent source of or rich in | One serving provides at least 20% or more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient. |
| Good source of | One serving provides 10-19% of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient. |
| Fresh | Generally used on a food in its raw state. Cannot be used on food that has been frozen or coked, or on food that contains preservatives. |
Did You Know?
“Healthy” is an implied nutrient content claim given to foods that have defined, “healthy” levels of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and beneficial nutrients.
Keep in mind that this does not take into account whether a food is highly-processed or has added sugar or not.
For a complete list of nutrient content claims and
descriptors, visit the FDA’s Food Labeling Guide found
here: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/
GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/
LabelingNutrition/ucm2006828.htm.
