From label to table

Taking the confusion out of the grocery aisle

You’re in the grocery store, ready to fill your shopping cart with healthy, tasty foods. Shopping list? Check. Coupons? Check. Translator? Unfortunately, no. Yet when you look at food labels, don’t you wish someone could explain the difference between low-fat and reduced-fat? Low-sodium and very low sodium? Even the well-intentioned shopper can become confused or skeptical by such claims about a food’s nutrient content.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates most food claims for consumers to ensure the terms used by food manufacturers mean the same things from label to label—which can help you make smarter food choices. So, what do the claims really mean? Check out the chart below for a translation of common terms and how to use that information in a healthy diet.

What it says

What it means per serving

What your daily intake should be

calorie-free

less than 5 calories

Calories: 1,600 to 2,800, depending on age, gender and daily activities

low-calorie

40 calories or less

  

fat-free

less than 0.5 grams (g) of fat or saturated fat

Fat: 20% to 30% of total calories

low-fat

3 g or less of total fat

  

saturated fat free

less than 0.5 g of saturated fat and less than 0.5 g of trans fatty acids

 

Saturated fat: no more than 10% of total calories

low saturated fat

1 g or less of saturated fat

cholesterol-free

less than 2 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol

Cholesterol: no more than 300 mg

low-cholesterol

20 mg of cholesterol or less

  

sodium-free or salt-free

less than 5 mg of sodium

Sodium (salt): 1,500 to 2,400 mg—but try to stay closer to the lower number

low-sodium

140 mg of sodium or less

  

very low sodium

35 mg of sodium or less

  

sugar-free

less than 0.5 g of sugar

Sugar: no daily values recommended

high-fiber

5 g or more of fiber

Fiber: 21 to 38 g

good source of fiber

2.5 g to 4.9 g of fiber

  

lean meat, poultry, seafood and game meats

less than 10 g of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat or less, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol (per 100 g)

Meat, poultry, seafood: no daily

values recommended

extra-lean meat, poultry, seafood and game meats

less than 5 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat or less, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol (per 100 g)

  

A glossary for the savvy consumer

• Reduced or less in front of the words fat, cholesterol, sodium or sugar means the food item contains at least 25 percent less of that ingredient than its original version.

• Light on the label has several meanings: (1) The food has one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the original version or (2) the food has at least one-half fewer milligrams of sodium than that of the original. Beware, however, of instances when the food’s texture and color are being described as "light," as in "light olive oil" and "light and fluffy." In cases such as these, light does not describe nutrient content.

• High describes a food with 20 percent or more of the government-recommended daily value of a nutrient.

• Good source means a food has 10 percent to 19 percent of the government-recommended daily value of a nutrient.

• More describes food that contains more than 10 percent of the government-recommended daily value of a nutrient. The terms fortified, enriched, added, extra and plus may be used instead of more.