Cereal Nutritional Claims

Low Calorie: 40 Calories or less is low, 100 calories is moderate and 400 calories is high.

Example:

  • Low Calorie!

High % Daily Value of ______:5%DV or less is low and 20%DV or more is high.

Examples:

  • High in Protein
  • High in Fiber
  • Low in sodium
  • Low fat

Healthy Diet — a diet that emphasizes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; is low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol*, salt (sodium), and added sugars; and stays within your daily calorie needs for your recommended weight. (Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005)

Example:

  • Part of a Healthy Diet!

A "good source" claim may be made when a food contains 10-19% of the RDI or DRV (both declared on the label as the DV).

A "high" claim may be made when a food contains at least 20% of the DV.

To use the words "contains" or "provides" for nutrients without DVs, the specific amount of the nutrient must be stated. The statements "Contains x grams of omega-3 fatty acids per serving" or "Provides x g of omega-3 fatty acids" are permitted.

May a "Less" or "Fewer" claim be made that compares ready-to-eat cereals to other breakfast options such as sausages or Danish pastries?Answer: The agency would not object to such a claim if it were properly framed in the context of an eating occasion such as "Try a change for breakfast. A serving of this cereal has __% less fat than a serving of Danish pastry".

Health claims are limited to claims about disease risk reduction, and cannot be claims about the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, or treatment of disease. Health claims are required to be reviewed and evaluated by FDA prior to use. An example of an authorized health claim, is: "Three grams of soluble fiber from oatmeal daily in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. This cereal has 2 grams per serving."

Equivalence claims: "contains as much [nutrient] as a [food]" may be made if both reference food and labeled food are a "Good Source" of a nutrient on a per serving basis. (e.g. "Contains as much vitamin C as an 8 ounce glass of orange juice").

Cereal Nutrition Label

Name of Cereal:
Nutrition Facts.
Serving Size: ______(___g).
Servings Per Container: about ______
Amount Per Serving Calories ______
Calories from Fat ______

% Daily Value (heading over %DV column).
Total Fat _____g, ____%.
Saturated Fat _____g, ____%.
Trans Fat ____g.
Cholesterol ___mg, ____%.
Sodium ____mg, ____%.
Total Carbohydrate ____g, ____%.
Dietary Fiber ____g, ____%.
Sugars _____g.
Protein _____g.
Vitamin A, _____%.
Vitamin C, _____%.
Calcium _____%.
Iron _____%.


“Note the * used after the heading "%Daily Value" on the Nutrition Facts label. It refers to the Footnote in the lower part of the nutrition label, which tells you "%DVs are based on a 2,000 calorie diet". This statement must be on all food labels. But the remaining information in the full footnote may not be on the package if the size of the label is too small. When the full footnote does appear, it will always be the same. It doesn't change from product to product, because it shows recommended dietary advice for all Americans--it is not about a specific food product.”

Ingredient list:

The ingredient list on a food label is the listing of each ingredient in descending order of predominance. Ex. “Pinto Beans, Water, and Salt"

Listing ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight means that the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last

Always list the common or usual name for ingredients unless there is a regulation that provides for a different term. For instance, use the term "sugar" instead of the scientific name sucrose.

Food Allergies:

  1. If you have any of the 8 major food allergens in your food you must state the following on your food label “Contains: ______and ______.” Ex. Contains: wheat and fish.
  2. Under FALCPA regulation, a "major food allergen" is an ingredient that is one of the following eight foods or food groups or an ingredient that contains protein derived from one of them:
  3. milk
  4. egg
  5. fish
  6. Crustacean shellfish
  7. tree nuts
  8. wheat
  9. peanuts
  10. soybeans

Although more than 160 foods have been identified to cause food allergies in sensitive individuals, the "major food allergens" account for 90 percent of all food allergies. Allergens other than the major food allergens are not subject to FALCPA labeling requirements.