Sweets

This label means that the flavor in the food does not come from spices, fruits, vegetables, edible yeast, herbs, bark, plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, or fermentation products. Artificial flavors encompass any flavor that is not a natural flavor. More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Low Calorie

This label may be used when the food in question has a serving size greater than 30 grams or greater than 2 tablespoons, and has less than 40 calories per serving size. Labels may also say “few calories,” “low in calories,” or “low source of calories.” More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Reduced Calorie

A reduced calorie label indicates that the product contains at least 25 percent fewer calories than the reference food that it is being compared to. The reference food should be easily identifiable and placed on the label near the reduced calorie claim. More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Zero Calories

This label may be used if the food contains less than five calories per labeled serving size. It is important to note that this does not mean the entire package of food contains less than five calories; only one serving size needs to have less than five calories for the whole package to be labeled zero calories. If the food meets this standard without special processing or alteration, the label should also clarify that calories are not usually present in that type of food. More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

This term is not defined by FDA when referencing food ingredients. The term “clean ingredients” and “clean eating” may generally refer to eating foods in their most raw or unprocessed state. The term may also mean the product was sustainably made or made with limited ingredients. What “clean ingredients” may mean is up to a manufacturer’s interpretation, but as with all label claims, this claim cannot be false or misleading and the label should include an explanation of the term somewhere on the packaging.

FDA defines color additives as dyes, pigments, or other substances that could impart color to food. Color additives must be preapproved by FDA and listed in the color additive regulations prior to use, and then may only be used in compliance with approved uses, specifications, and restrictions. There are two main categories of color additives: “certifiable” and “exempt.”

There are two main categories of color additives: “certifiable” and “exempt.” Certifiable color additives are man-made and come from petroleum and coal sources. A sample of the additive is tested by FDA, and if it meets certain requirements the additive is declared certified and can be used in FDA-regulated products. Exempt additives are sourced from plant, animal, or mineral sources. Exempt additives do not need to be batch certified, but are still considered artificial color additives and should be labeled as such. Labels may indicate the inclusion of these additives by saying “artificial color added” or just “color added.” For a comprehensive list of food color additives, visit this FDA website. For more information on added colors, see this FDA website.

FDA has not defined the claim “ethically sourced”, but it has generally been interpreted as meaning that the product was sourced in a way that is better for the environment or more humane than alternative products. Like all label claims, this claim cannot be used in a false or misleading way.

Low Fat

The low-fat label refers to the proportion of the food in question that is fat. Specifically, it means that a food that usually has a serving size greater than 30 grams, or two tablespoons, contains three grams or less of fat per serving size than its full-fat counterpart. Other claims indicating this include “little fat,” “contains a small amount of fat,” and “low source of fat.” If the food has not been specifically altered or formulated to have less fat, the label must indicate that all kinds of that food are low-fat foods. See FDA’s regulations for more information.

No Trans Fat

Manufacturers are permitted to make this claim when a product has less than 0.5 grams trans fats per serving, even if the full product has more than 0.5 grams of trans fats total. For example, if a serving size of potato chips contains less than 0.5 grams trans fats, a family sized bag of those potato chips may be labeled “no trans fats” even though the total amount of trans fats in the bag amounts to more than 0.5 grams. See FDA’s regulations for more information.

Reduced Fat

If a label has the term “reduced fat,” “less fat,” or “lower fat,” it should clearly state both the reference food that it is comparing itself to, and the percentage by which the fat was reduced. At minimum, if a food has this label it should contain 25 percent less fat than the reference food to bear this label. See FDA’s regulations for more information.

The fair trade label is not regulated by FDA; it is a certification given by third-parties, like Fair Trade USA. Fair trade products are subject to social, environmental, and economic standards that ensure that the goods are made in safe working conditions in a way that is sustainable for the environment, and in a way that brings money into the local communities where the goods are produced. This certification also indicates that the product was produced without forced child labor. In the context of sweets, the label is particularly prevalent in sugar and cocoa products. For example, fair trade chocolates are from cacao farmers who receive at least a set minimum price for their goods and who produce the cacao sustainably.

100% juice

This label means that the product is a juice directly taken from a fruit or a vegetable and it is not concentrated or reconstituted. More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Contains zero percent juice

If a product contains no fruit or vegetable juice but the label, flavor, or color of the product suggests or implies that fruit or vegetable juice may be present, then the label must read “contains zero percent juice,” “contains no juice,” or “does not contain juice.” More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Juice Beverage

If a juice product is 100 percent juice, it may simply be called juice. If the product has been diluted to less than 100 percent juice, it must be qualified with a term such as “beverage,” “drink,” or “cocktail.” The product may also say “diluted ___  juice” (e.g., “diluted orange juice”). More information is available in FDA’s regulations.

Made with real fruit juice

Without a percentage, FDA does not require a specific amount of real fruit to be included in a product for it to use this claim.

The “high” qualifier may be used in labeling when a food contains 20 percent or more of the reference daily intake or daily reference value ordinarily recommended for consumption. If a dessert is labeled as high fiber, rich in fiber, or an excellent source of fiber, it must contain at least 20 percent of the daily recommended intake amount. More information is available in FDA’s regulations.

All Natural

FDA does not have a formal definition for what this label means, but it has acknowledged a “longstanding policy” concerning the use of the word natural in food labeling. FDA considers it to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including color additives) has been included in or added to a food if it would not normally be expected to be found in that food. FDA also states that the use of the word natural currently does not address food production or processing methods, such as the use of pesticides, thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation. FDA has not considered whether “natural” describes nutritional benefits.

Natural Flavor

This means that the flavoring in the product is derived from one of the following sources: (1) a spice; (2) fruit or fruit juice; (3) vegetable or vegetable juice; (4) edible yeast; (5) herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material; (6) meat; (7) seafood; (8) poultry; (9) eggs; or (10) dairy product. By law, the significant function in the food must be for flavoring, and not nutritional purposes. See FDA’s regulations for more information.

The use of this claim is not specifically regulated by FDA, since it is not referencing an element of the food that provides nutrition to the body such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, or minerals. FDA defines chemical preservatives as “chemicals added to food that tend to prevent its deterioration, excluding common salt, sugar, vinegar, spices, oils, substances added to food through a wood smoking process, and chemical pesticides.”

There is no federal definition for what “real ingredients” means. However, if a label claims that a product is made only with real ingredients, then the product should not have any synthetic or artificial ingredients, otherwise, the label may be found to be misleading.

Added Sugars

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that get added to processed or prepared foods and beverages, not natural sugars found in milk and fruit. FDA requires the inclusion of added sugars on the nutrition facts panel. There is an extensive list of the names that added sugars may have on ingredients lists, including fructose, corn syrup, maltose, fruit nectar, syrups, molasses, dextrose, etc. For more guidance on added sugars, you can visit this MyPlate guidance from USDA and FDA’s Regulations.

Low Sugar

The term “low sugar” is not specifically defined and FDA guidance states the claim may not be used. However, a label that states the food is “low” in any nutrient falls under the same general requirements of “low.” That is, only foods that have been specially processed, altered, formulated, or reformulated to have less of a specific nutrient can be called “low.” This is because the term “low” indicates that the food differs from foods of a similar type. So, a “low sugar” food would need to be specially processed, altered, formulated, or reformulated to have less sugar than similar foods. If a food is inherently low in sugar without special processing, a label should indicate that the “low sugar” qualifier applies to all foods of that type and not just a specific brand. For more information, see FDA’s regulations.

Naturally Sweetened

FDA has not defined what “natural” means. However, this label claim must not be false and misleading and manufacturers should be able to defend this claim. Many manufacturers use this claim to indicate that a product has been sweetened with fruit or juice rather than artificial sweeteners. Popular “natural sweeteners” also include stevia, monk fruit, and raw sugar.

No Added Sugars

This label indicates that a manufacturer did not add any sugars to the product during processing. It does not mean that there is no sugar in the product, and the product could still contain naturally occurring sugars. This is particularly common with fruit juices, which are high in naturally occurring sugars but do not contain added sugars. More information is available in FDA’s regulations.

Reduced Sugar

A reduced sugar or lower sugar label is different from a low sugar label. It indicates that the food contains at least 25 percent less sugar per reference amount customarily consumed of that food. If this label is used, the food that it is being compared to should be indicated in close proximity to the “reduced sugar” claim on the label. For example: “Reduced sugar cereal—contains 25% less sugar than our original cereal.” More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Sugar

While many people might be familiar with glucose, sucrose, and fructose, other sugars may be harder to identify. Some examples of names that added sugars might be given on labels include barley malt, corn sweetener, dextran, malt powder, maltodextrin, evaporated cane juice, carob syrup, agave nectar, oat syrup, and rice syrup.

Sugar Free

Specifically, a sugar-free label means that a food contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per labeled serving size. It may still contain artificial sweeteners. More information is found in FDA’s regulations.

Specifically, a sugar-free label means that a food contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per labeled serving size. It may still contain artificial sweeteners. More information is found in FDA’s regulations. FDA considers these to be sugars: white sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, and sugars found in fruit, fruit juices, and milk products. No-calorie sweeteners do not fall under FDA’s definition of sugar; popular examples of these include saccharin (Sweet n Low), aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal), sucralose (Splenda), and steviol glycosides (Stevia). For more information, see this FDA guidance document.

There are no federal definitions for the term “sustainably sourced” or regulatory oversight of its use. The term “sustainable” is used broadly, and its meaning varies depending on context. Producers may, for example, use this term to mean that the food’s ingredients were supplied by environmentally conscious growers. However, the producer cannot use the term if it is false or misleading.

This term means that a product has been produced according to the standards in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and certified by USDA’s National Organic Program. A label may only use the “USDA Organic” seal if the food is actually certified organic.

Organic products are grown and processed according to federal standards on soil quality, pest and weed control, and use of chemical fertilizers, among other areas. According to USDA, “[o]rganic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.”

The amount of organic ingredients in a food matters for labeling. A “100 percent organic” product may only have ingredients that are organic. A food that has at least 95 percent organic ingredients may have the term “organic” on its label if the organic ingredients are specifically noted somewhere on the package. For more information on organic ingredient labeling, see the USDA Organic Labeling Standards website.