What Health Claims on Food Labels Really Mean

Family
165089851
Hundred percent organic label
https://dailyparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/165089851-150x150.jpg

As consumers are encouraged to eat more healthily, they can be exposed to a variety of different sources of dietary information, some of which is more reliable than others. Health claims on food labels are a very useful, instant indicator as to whether the food is suitable for you. In the United States, these claims are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which ensures that the claims made are accurate and not misleading.

How FDA regulation works. The FDA defines a health claim as “a relationship between a food, food component, or dietary supplement ingredient, and reducing risk of a disease or health-related condition.” The FDA oversees this in three ways:

  • The 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which allows manufacturers to display health claims on foods, following FDA review of the supporting scientific evidence.
  • The 1997 Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act allows manufacturers to publish health claims based on a scientific statement from a scientific body of the U.S. government or the National Academy of Sciences. These claims must first be notified to the FDA.
  • The 2003 FDA Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition Initiative, which allows qualified health claims where the scientific evidence falls below the standard for a full FDA authorizing regulation. The claims must, however, still be qualified.

Frequently used terms. While there are a number of terms that can be found on food labeling, these are the most common terms that you may find:

The following prefixes apply to foods that are above the FDA recommended daily consumption:

  • High in — contains 20 percent or more of the recommended daily consumption
  • Good source of — contains 10 percent to 19 percent of the recommended daily consumption

In both cases, these terms may be used on meals or main dishes in relation to a specific food but not to describe the meal itself.

The following prefixes apply to specific foods found in a product:

  • Low calorie — less than 40 calories per serving
  • Low cholesterol — less than 20 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams saturated fat
  • Low sodium — less than 140 milligrams sodium per serving
  • Low fat — 3 grams fat or less per serving
  • Calorie free — less than 5 calories per serving
  • Fat-free – less than ½ gram fat per serving
  • Sugar-free — less than 0.5 grams sugar per serving
Found in: Family
%d bloggers like this: