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What Does A Fat-Free Food Label Really Mean?

Have you ever returned from buying what you thought was a “Light” or “Fat-Free” product, only to find out it was loaded with calories, sodium, and sometimes even fat? Statistics show that nearly 60% of Americans always try to check the nutrition label of a food to determine the fat content. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created these labels to regulate how food companies should provide nutrition information to help consumers make informed food choices. Sometimes, however, these labels end up being more confusing than they were meant to be.

What Does “Light” Really Mean?

A “light” food must be reduced in the given nutrient (such as fat, calories, cholesterol, sodium, etc.) when compared to what the FDA calls a “reference food”. This is a representative value of a broad base of similar foods, such as the average of the top 3 national or regional brands for the specified food. For instance, regular potato chips would be the reference food for a light potato chip. If the reference food used is already considered “low” in the designated nutrient (for example, 3 grams of fat or less per reference amount), then the “light” claim cannot be used.

According to the FDA, if a food product is labeled as “light” with no other explanation on the label, here is what you can know for sure:

1. If reference the food derives more than 50% of calories from fat, then the “light” product is reduced by fat by 50%; or

2. If the reference food derives less than 50% of calories from fat, then the “light” product is either reduced in calories by one-third or reduced in fat by at least 50% when compared with the reference food; or

3. For foods with modified sodium content, the “light” product must be reduced in sodium by at least 50%.

Sound confusing? It is to most consumers. A “light” product can still be very high in either calories, fat, cholesterol, or sodium (or all four!) because it is being compared to other foods which have large values in these areas. Wait, there is more…

“Light” also may be used to describe certain physical attributes of a food, such as texture or color which have no reference to calories, fat, or sodium. However, if light is used in this manner at all, then the food label must state that the “light” refers to the particular attribute (such as “light in color” or “light in texture”). Be careful then about reading “light” labels and do not assume it always refers to nutrients!

“Light” is not the only word that can appear on a food label.  According to the FDA, the terms “reduced” and “fewer” can also be used as long as the product contains at least a 25% reduction in calories, fat, or sodium when compared to the reference food.

Other labels as defined by the FDA include:

Fat-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of total fat for a given reference amount (notice that 0.5 is not 0!)

Calorie-Free: Less than 5 calories for a given reference amount

Cholesterol-Free: Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol for a given reference amount and 2 grams or less of saturated fat for a given reference amount

Saturated Fat-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat for a given reference amount and no more than 0.5 grams of trans fatty acids

Low-Fat: 3 grams or less of total fat for a given reference amount

Low-Calorie: No more than 40 calories for a given reference amount (except sugar substitutes)

Low-Cholesterol: 20 milligrams or less cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat for a given reference amount

Low-Saturated Fat: 1 gram or less of saturated fat for a given reference amount and no more than 15% of calories from saturated fat

It seems as though the FDA is allowing food companies to be quite liberal in their use of the word “free”. Fat-free, calorie-free, and cholesterol-free do not mean zero. Instead, they mean a number close to zero.

The morale of the story is to make sure you read all labels carefully and eat a well-balanced diet which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables which don’t need food labels at all!

Source: The Calorie Control Council

Nicole Niemiec is founder of http://www.healthy-insights.com , a site containing reliable health information for improving your quality of life.