What Does Low-Fat Mean?

Switching to low-fat foods is a popular choice among dieters. But food companies use terms like "low fat" in confusing and even misleading ways. In the U.S., the FDA regulates use of the term "low fat" on food labels to help consumers make the right choices.

Definition

The 1994 Federal Nutrition and Labeling Education act set the standards for food labeling. Any food claiming to be "low fat" must contain 3 grams of fat or less per serving or per 100 grams. Also, only foods that meet these requirements for the "low fat" label may contain a phrase such as "98 percent fat free."

Variations

The differences between the labels "low fat," "reduced fat" and "reduced calorie" can be confusing from a consumer's standpoint.

A food is considered "reduced fat" if it contains 50 percent or less of the fat in the product's regular version. If cheddar cheese typically contains 9 grams of fat per serving, a reduced-fat cheddar must contain 4.5 grams or less of fat per serving.

"Reduced calorie" means that a food contains a third or fewer of the calories found in the regular product. If a typical chocolate-chip cookie contains 120 calories per serving, the reduced calorie version must contain 80 calories or fewer per serving.

Warnings

According to labeling regulations, manufacturers may label a product as "fat free" if it contains no more than half a gram of fat per serving. Foods claiming to be fat free can still contain small amounts of fat, blurring the line between fat free and low-fat foods.

It's also important to remember that "low fat" does not always mean "healthy." Some candy packages label themselves as "fat free foods," but low-fat or fat-free candy is usually high in sugar.