Lite, Low Fat Food

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

"Low fat." "No cholesterol." "High in oat bran." "Light." And don't forget "lite."

Until now, many of these claims have been nothing more than advertising hype. The public has been misled with products like the "light" vegetable oil that was just light in color and the "lite" cheesecake that was just light in texture.

But with the publication of new food labeling regulations in January 1993, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) address the problem of misleading nutrition claims and help reestablish the credibility of the food label. The regulations spell out which nutrient content claims are allowed and under what circumstances they can be used.

There are 11 core terms:

• free
• low
• lean
• extra lean
• high
• good source
• reduced
• less
• light
• fewer
• more

Let Freedom Ring

The new regulations allow manufacturers the option to use the following synonyms for the term "free":

• without
• trivial source of
• negligible source of
• dietarily insignificant source of
• no
• zero

Whatever term the manufacturer chooses, the product must either be absolutely free of the nutrient in question or, if the nutrient is in the food, the amount must be dietetically trivial or physiologically insignificant.

For example, zero fat cannot be required because it is impossible to measure below a certain amount. So, the regulation will allow a fat-free claim on foods with less than 0.5 grams (g) of fat per serving, an amount that is physiologically insignificant even if a person eats several servings.

Foods that don't contain a certain nutrient naturally must be labeled to indicate that all foods of that type meet the claim. For example, a fat-free claim on applesauce would have to read "applesauce, a fat-free food."

"Free" also can be used in reference to saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and calories.

The Lowdown

A food meets the definition for "low" if a person can eat a large amount of the food without exceeding the Daily Value for the nutrient.

The synonyms allowed for "low" are:

• little
• few
• contains a small amount of
• low source of

"Low" claims can be made in reference to total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories.

A claim of "very low" can be made only about sodium.

Lean, Mean Eating Machine

"Lean" and "extra lean" can be used to describe the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats. (FSIS regulates meat and poultry products; FDA oversees seafood and game meats.)

"Lean" means the food has less than 10 g of fat, less than 4 g of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. An example of a serving is 55 g (2 oz.) for fish, shellfish or game meat. Some "lean" foods are Spanish mackerel, bluefin tuna, and domesticated rabbit.

"Extra lean" means the food has less than 5 g of fat, less than 2 g of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. Examples of "extra lean" foods are haddock, swordfish, clams, and deer.

Percent Fat Free

FDA and FSIS believe that this claim implies, and consumers expect, that products bearing "percent fat free" claims contain relatively small amounts of fat and are useful in maintaining a low-fat diet. Therefore, products with these claims must meet the definitions for low fat.

In addition, the claim must accurately reflect the amount of fat present in 100 g of the food. For example, if a food contains 2.5 g of fat per 50 g, the claim must be "95 percent fat free."

Take the High Road

"High" and "good source" focus on nutrients for which higher levels are desirable. To qualify for the "high" claim, the food must contain 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for that nutrient in a serving. Approved synonyms for high are "rich in" or "excellent source."

"Good source" means a serving contains 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value for the nutrient.

Comparison Claims

Manufacturers who want to compare a nutritionally altered product with the regular product may make a relative claim--that is, "reduced," "less," "fewer," "more," or "light." The regular products, or reference foods, may be either an individual food or a group of foods representative of the type of food--for example, an average of three market leaders.

Restrictions on these claims and the reference foods include:

A relative claim must include the percent difference and the identity of the reference food.

"Reduced," "less" and "light" claims can't be made on products whose nutrient level in the reference food already meets the requirement for a "low" claim.

Reference foods for "light" and "reduced" claims must be similar to the product bearing the claim--for example, reduced fat potato chips compared with regular potato chips.

Reference foods for "less" and, in the case of calories, "fewer" may use dissimilar products within a product category--for example, pretzels with 25 percent less fat than potato chips.

At the other end of the spectrum, a serving of a food carrying a "more" claim (or claims of fortified, enriched or added) must have at least 10 percent more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient (that is, dietary fiber, potassium, protein, or an essential vitamin or mineral) than the reference food that it resembles.

Let There Be Light/Lite

"Light" or "lite" can mean one of two things:

First, that a nutritionally altered product contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food. If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from fat, the reduction must be 50 percent of the fat.

Second, that the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been reduced by 50 percent.

The term "light in sodium" is allowed if the food has at least 50 percent less sodium than a reference food. If the food still does not meet the definition for "low sodium," the label must include the disclaimer "not a low-sodium food."

"Light" will be allowed to describe color or texture, provided qualifying information is included. However, names that have a long history of use, such as "light brown sugar," can still be used without qualifying information.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.