Food labels are confusing

Food packages and labels can be very confusing on the grocery shelves or when they're being advertised. You can read low, very low and reduced sodium or fat on a box in the grocery and not be sure what you're buying. Fortunately,  the USDA (The US Department of Agriculture) wants to make sure that food companies follow the same guidelines, so that the terms always mean the same thing.

• Calorie-Free: fewer than 10 calories in a serving
• Light (Lite): 1/3 less calories or no more than 1/2 the fat of the higher calorie, higher fat version; or no more than 1/2 the sodium of the higher sodium version
• Fat-Free: less than .5 grams of fat per serving
• Low-Fat: 3 grams of fat or less per serving
• Reduced or less fat: at least 25% less fat per serving than the higher fat version
• Lean: less than 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 95 grams of cholesterol per serving
• Extra Lean: less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams per serving
• Low in Saturated Fat: 1 gram saturated fat per serving and not more than 15% of calories from saturated fatty acids
• Cholesterol-Free: less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving
• Low Cholesterol: 20 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving
• Reduced Cholesterol: at least 25% less cholesterol than the higher cholesterol version and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving
• Sodium-Free: less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and no sodium chloride in ingredients
• Very Low Sodium: less than 35 milligrams per serving
• Low Sodium: 140 milligrams of sodium per serving
• Reduced or Less Sodium: at least 25% less sodium per serving than the higher sodium version
• Sugar-Free: less than .5 gram of sugar per serving

Adapted from Nurturing with Nutrition by Dr. Melanie Bezarte and Lucille Beseler, RDN