"Free" Foods

Many foods will make claims on the front of the box or container. At the grocery store, you may see many items that use the words, “free,” “low,” or “high.” But what do these claims really mean?

A food product can be labeled “free” if the food contains very little to none of a specific nutrient. It can apply to fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, or calories.

More specifically, an item can be considered "calories-free" if it contains less than 5 calories per serving. A food may be considered "fat-free" if it has less than ½ gram of fat per serving.