It’s easy to be misled by food marketing terms, with their vague definitions and easily misinterpreted wording. It can be difficult for shoppers to know when the claims made by food labels actually mean what they appear to, or when they are purposefully misleading to draw in health conscious consumers. Listed below are just a few of the most common food marketing terms defined and debunked.
Calorie Free or Zero Calorie
Calorie free refers to foods that are 5 calories or less per serving. It does not necessarily mean the food is 0 kcal.
Fat Free or Trans Fat Free
Similar to calorie free, this term does not actually mean 100% free of fat. Fat free foods are those containing less than 0.5g fat per serving.
Fresh
The FDA designates this term as meaning “in a raw state and has not been frozen or subjected to any form of thermal processing or preservation”. There are a few exceptions, however, that will still allow for foods to be labeled as fresh. The exceptions are the following:
•The addition of approved waxes or coatings
•The post-harvest use of approved pesticides
•The application of a mild chlorine wash or mild acid wash on produce
•The treatment of raw foods with ionizing radiation not to exceed the maximum dose of 1 kiloGray
Healthy
The term “healthy” may be used to label a food that is useful in creating a diet that is consistent with dietary recommendations if the food meets the conditions for total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Given that this definition is very vague, the term healthy is frequently used to increase sales on packaged, processed foods.
Light or Lite
In foods in which 50% or more of the calories are from fat, fat must be reduced by at least 50% per RACC (Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed). If less than 50% of calories are from fat, fat must be reduced by at least 50% or calories reduced at least ⅓.
Low Calorie
There is no formal definition of “low calorie”. This is very subjective.
Natural
This term is loosely regulated. The USDA allows "natural" to be used to describe meat and poultry that contain no artificial ingredients or added color. It must also be minimally processed. “Made Naturally” means absolutely nothing.
No added hormones
This term is somewhat regulated. Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in pork and poultry products, however, the phrase is undefined for any non-pork or non-poultry products.
Non-GMO
Only the term certified non-GMO is regulated, and insinuates that the food has not undergone the process of being combined with one or more genes from the DNA of another organism, such as a bacterium, virus, animal, or plant. The term non-GMO by itself is not regulated.
Pasture-Raised or Humanely Raised
These terms are not regulated by any government body. If animal rights are an important factor to you when buying meat, look for the term FREE RANGE.
Real ingredients
This is a marketing term that means absolutely nothing.
Reduced Fat
At least 25% less fat per RACC (Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed) than an appropriate reference food. These foods may or may not be high in fat content depending on what the reference food’s typical fat content is. For example, “Reduced Fat Salad Dressing” may still be high in fat content as salad dressings are primarily made of fat.
NOTE: The 25% rule also applies to labels that say reduced sugar and reduced sodium.
Processed vs Unprocessed
The USDA defines "processed" as food that has undergone a "change of character." An example of this would be raw peanuts (unprocessed) versus roasted peanuts (processed). The term processed should not be used to make any sort of health claim, in this sense.
Organic
The USDA uses the term organic to designate meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products that come from animals that were never given antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic plant foods are ones that were produced without using pesticides, synthetic fertilizer, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.
There are three different level of organic food:
1. 100-Percent Organic: All ingredients are completely organic.
2. Organic: Foods in which at least 95% of ingredients are organic.
3. Made with Organic Ingredients: Foods in which at least 70% of ingredients are organic.
Whole
This term generally refers to foods that have not been processed or had ingredients added to them, leaving in them in their most “pure” form. Given that the term is unregulated, foods that appear to be “whole” on the surface can usually get away with using this label.
Other misleading claims:
Foods that typically do not contain a certain ingredient may be labeled as such to lure in customers looking for foods that appear to be healthier.
Ex. Gluten free corn, Sodium free frozen vegetables
Takeaways:
Be careful not to be deceived by food marketing. If something appears too good to be true, it probably is.
Make sure to fully read the nutrition facts to be well informed of what you’re eating.
If you’d like more information on how food is labeled, the following links may be of help to you:
https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf