Label Claims

"In addition to mandating nutrients and ingredients that must appear on food labels, any nutrient content claims must meet certain requirements. For example, a manufacturer cannot claim that a food is fat-free or low-fat if it is not, in reality, fat-free or low-fat. Low-fat indicates that the product has three or fewer grams of fat; low salt indicates there are fewer than 140 milligrams of sodium; and low-cholesterol indicates there are fewer than 20 milligrams of cholesterol and two grams of saturated fat. Common label terms include lean, which means fewer than a set amount of grams of fat for that particular cut of meat; high, which means the product contains more than 20 percent of the nutrient’s Daily Value; good source, which means it contains 10 to 19 percent of the nutrient’s Daily Value; light or lite, which means it contains one-third fewer calories or 50 percent less fat, with additional requirements when more than half of the calories come from fat; and organic, which means the product contains 95 percent organic ingredients. Often we hear news of a particular nutrient or food product that contributes to our health or may prevent disease. A health claim is a statement that links a particular food with a reduced risk of developing disease. As such, health claims such as “reduces heart disease” must be evaluated by the FDA before they may appear on packaging. Prior to the passage of the NLEA, products that made such claims were categorized as drugs and not food. All health claims must be substantiated by scientific evidence in order for them to be approved and put on a food label. To avoid having companies make false claims, laws also regulate how health claims are presented on food packaging. In addition to the claim being backed up by scientific evidence, it may never claim to cure or treat the disease. While health claims must be backed up by hard scientific evidence, qualified health claims have supportive evidence, which is not as definitive as with health claims. The evidence may suggest that the food or nutrient is beneficial."