Low
This claim can be used on all foods that can be eaten often without going over the limit for one or more of these nutrients: saturated fat, cholesterol, fat, sodium and calories.
The following claims are often found:
- "Low-saturated fat": 1 gram or less per serving.
- "Low-fat": 3 grams or less per serving.
- "Low-cholesterol": 20 milligrams or less and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
- "Low-sodium": 140 milligrams or less per serving.
- "Low calorie": 40 calories or less per serving.
Sometimes, "low" is substituted by other words such as "little”, "few" and "low source of". |
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Lean and extra lean
These claims can be used to describe the saturated fat and fat content of meat, poultry, seafood and game meats.
Lean and extra lean are described as follows:
- "Lean": less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.
- "Extra lean": less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. |
Free
This claim means that a food contains no amount (or a very small amount) of certain nutrients. The nutrient may be fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar or calories.
For example:
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"Calorie-free" means fewer than 5 calories per serving.
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"Fat-free" means less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute |
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