The Truth Behind Food Claims
If nutrition isn’t complicated enough, food packaging and labeling only leaves us confused or leads us astray in our food choices. While the FDA sets detailed criteria to use certain adjectives or health claims on products, others carry no meaning or regulation. In breaking down the meaning of some of these claims, I’m hoping I can help you see beyond the marketing and make informed choices about your food.
What health claims are allowed?
When it comes to associating a food or nutrient with disease risk, only certain claims are permitted. These claims are set by the FDA and supported by the science:
- calcium, vitamin D and risk of osteoporosis
- dietary fat intake and cancer
- saturated fat intake and risk of coronary artery disease
- non-nutritive sweeteners and dental cavities
- folic acid and risk of neural tube defects in infants
- fruits, vegetables and fiber-containing grain products and cancer
- sodium and hypertension (high blood pressure)
- soy protein and risk of coronary artery disease
- plant stanols/sterols and risk of coronary artery disease
What does “good source” or “low fat” really mean?
Guidelines are set around using certain descriptors to characterize the level of a nutrient in a food. The term “good source” can be used when there is 10-19% of the recommended daily value (%DV) of the nutrient present, while greater than 20% must be present to use “high.” Conversely, “less” or “reduced” can be used when there is 25% less than an appropriate reference food. A different definition is used for “low” or “free.” These terms can only be used if the food has been specifically processed to lower or remove the amount of the nutrient in the food. For example, “fat free broccoli” cannot be used since broccoli is naturally low in fat. As you can see- this terminology can become quite confusing!
“Healthy”- Does it carry any meaning?
Yes- there are set criteria a food product must meet to make this claim.
Fat: For individual food or meals total fat must be < 3 g per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC). For seafood or game meat, this amount can be < 5 g per RACC. New guidance has allowed manufacturers leeway with this term since nutrition science has evolved around fat- they can still use the term if the total fat is greater but mostly unsaturated fats or if the food contains at least 10% of the DV for potassium or vitamin D.
Saturated Fat: < 2 g
Sodium: < 480 g for an individual food, or < 600 mg for a meal/main dish
Cholesterol: < 60 g for an individual food, < 95 g for seafood/game meat and < 90 g for a meal/main dish. This particular criterion has been under a great deal of discussion in recent years due to the fact that the our understanding of the relationship between dietary and blood cholesterol levels has changed. For example, eggs would be excluded as a “healthy” food based on this given that one contains 185 mg of cholesterol.
Beneficial Nutrients: There must be at least 10% of the DV for one or more of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein or fiber. For a main dish, there must be two or more, and for a meal product 3 or more.