Terms and claims on food label

Some terms on food packages like free, very low, low, fortified, enriched, extra, no trans fat can appear to be healthy choices. Before buying such foods understand what exactly these words mean.

• “Free” means a food has the least possible amount of the specified nutrient.
• “Very Low” and “Low” means the food has a little more than foods labeled “Free.”
• “Reduced” or “Less” mean the food has 25% less of a specific nutrient than the regular product.
• “More,” “Fortified,” “Enriched,” “Added,” “Extra,” or “Plus” means the food has 10% or more of the Daily Value (DV) than the regular product. May only be used for vitamins, minerals, protein, dietary fiber, and potassium.
• Made with extra fiber: It does not mean ‘excellent source of fiber”. The food has to supply minimum 5 gram of fiber per serving. And, the fiber is obtained from one type like cellulose, inulin or  frucans. Natural fibers are mixed type and are beneficial for health.
• No trans fat : Trans fat are not good for health. If a product says no trans fat, don’t believe totally. According to policy, if a serving has less than 0.5 gram of trans fat then it can claim as no trans fat. According to the Ameri­can Heart Association, trans fat should supply less than 1 percent of or daily calories and is not more than 2 grams per day for 2,000 calories.

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