Deconstructing Food Labels – Part 2 Optional (and Regulated) Information
With so much information on food labels, it is hard to sift through what it all means and if you even need to pay attention to these things.
I covered the required information on all food labels in the previous post, including the Nutrition Facts, Allergens, Ingredients, and more.
There are many “front of the package” labels too. Some of these are regulated. Others are mostly there for the hype and marketing to imply that one food brand is what you should choose. There are things like “natural,” “gluten-free,” and “no GMOs.” These are not regulated terms for the most part.
In this article, there are three types of statements allowed on food labels that the Food & Drug Administration regulates. These are Nutrient Claims, Health, Claims, and Structure-Function Claims. Can you trust these? As with many items in nutrition, this is another “it depends” situation.
Nutrient Claims
Nutrient claims are specific to a nutrient in the food such as fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, and even calories. These are FDA-approved claims, and they must meet specific criteria to use these terms. If a food label has one of these claims, it MUST be accurate and true. You have seen these but may not know what they mean.
Here are some examples:
Low calorie: 40 calories or fewer per serving
Reduced calorie: at least 25% lower in calories than the original or “reference food.”
Calorie-free: less than 5 calories per serving
Fat-Free: less than 0.5-gram fat per serving
Low fat: 3 grams or less of total fat per serving
Low Saturated Fat: 1 gram or less of saturated fat per serving or less than 0.5 grams trans-fat per serving
High Fiber: 5 grams or more per serving
Good Source of Fiber: 2.5-4.9 grams fiber per serving
Low Sodium: 140 mg or less of sodium per serving
Reduced Sodium: at least 25% lower in sodium than the original or regular product
“Light” is a term allowed and has a few meanings. It is not always low calories.
One serving has one-third lower calories OR half the fat than the original or regular product.
One serving of a low-calorie, low-fat food has half the sodium usually present.
A product is light in color or texture – and the label must make this clear. Some people assume “light” olive oil or “light” brown sugar is related to the first or second definition, but in this case, it is just a descriptor of the color.
While the list above is not inclusive of all the “allowed” terms and their definitions, I must point out that as of this posting, there is NO definition of “low carb” or “net carb.” People have their interpretation of this, and it is not definitive. I have learned that most people are unaware of which foods have carbohydrates. And when it comes to “net carbs,” I have seen a few ways people calculate this. It is not a regulated term.
Health Claims
A health claim describes the relationship between a food, nutrients in the food, another component, and a specific health condition. These are regulated by the FDA and fall into four different classifications based on the quality of the evidence supporting the claim. For example, “A” level claims are definitive – the research is pretty, darn clear:
Relating to folic acid and neural tube defects: Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman’s risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord defect.
Relating to fruits and vegetables and cancer: Cancer development depends on many factors. Eating a diet low in fat and high in grain products, fruits, and vegetables that contain dietary fiber may reduce your risk of some cancers.
Relating to soluble fiber and oat: Soluble fiber from daily oatmeal in a diet low in saturated fat and trans-fat may reduce the risk of heart disease.
“A” ranking claims are extensively outlined in the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations).
Health claims with a “B” ranking have significant benefit evidence but are not as straightforward or definitive as “A” claims.
Health claims with a ranking of “C” or “D” are still unclear, and the research should be ongoing. Health claims in this category must have the following included along with the declaration: ‘this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.’
There is no way the general consumer can keep up with all of these claims, and while many are legitimate, others are still under investigation and may not have the benefits we think they have. So, you don’t need to ignore these, but dare I say: take them with a grain of salt.
There was a lawsuit related to Activia yogurt overstating their health claims. They suggested their yogurt had something special about it when it did not. So they got in trouble and had to pay for it along with changing their wording. Nutella also got sued because they were overstating things in their advertising (no, Nutella is NOT healthy).
Structure-Function Claims
These are among the more misleading claims on labels but allowed on labels. They are legal and primarily unregulated other than there must be a statement following this claim. There are statements with vague terms such as “supports” or “aids in” such as “supports immunity” or “aids in digestion.”
A structure-function claim describes how a substance or ingredient in the food will affect the structure or function of the body. For example, we know calcium and bones are interrelated. So a food that has calcium could suggest that it “builds strong bones.” Also, foods with probiotics can say “helps with digestive health” but cannot say that it “improves digestion.”
Structure-function claims MUST have an additional statement along with their claim: This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.
While these may not all be clear, and the general consumer doesn’t know what to look for, I tell people to ignore most of the claims other than the nutrient content.
Coming Next: Front of the Package Claims for Marketing
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