Food Labels Can Be Misleading

Updated: March 29th, 2010 |

Do you think that fat-free, sugar-free cookie is all it claims to be? Think again!

The “Nutrition Facts” food labels are intended to give you information about the specific packaged food in question. Measurements of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals are calculated for a “typical portion.” But, reading these labels can be confusing.

Some food labels make claims such as “low cholesterol” or “low fat.” These claims can only be used if a food meets strict government definitions. Here are some of the meanings.

LABEL CLAIM	DEFINITION (per standard serving size)
Fat-free or sugar-free	Less than 0.5 gram (g.) of fat or sugar
Low fat	3 g. of fat or less
Reduced fat or reduced sugar	At least 25% less fat or sugar
Cholesterol free	Less than 2 milligrams (mg.) cholesterol and 2 g. or less of saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol	At least 25% less cholesterol and 2 g. or less of saturated fat
Calorie free	Less than 5 calories
Low calorie	40 calories or less
Light or lite	1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat; if more than half the calories come from fat, fat content must be reduced by 50% or more

Food Labels Can Be Misleading

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Additions

Categories

I Wanna See It All

Strive to Simplify