What Does Healthy Mean on a Food Label?

When we look at food labels, the term “healthy” is often used to describe a product. But what does healthy mean when it comes to food labeling?

The FDA Definition of Healthy The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines healthy as “a food that is low in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium; contains at least 10 percent of the Daily Value (DV) of one or more essential nutrients; and has an overall nutrient profile that supports health and wellness.”

Low in Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium The FDA requires that a food must contain no more than 3 grams of total fat per serving in order to qualify as healthy. Additionally, the food must contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving, no more than 20 milligrams of cholesterol per serving, and no more than 480 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Contains Essential Nutrients A healthy food must also contain at least 10 percent of the DV for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron or protein. This means that these essential vitamins and minerals must be present in sufficient amounts to support health and wellness.

Overall Nutrient Profile Supports Health Finally, the overall nutrient profile of the food must support health and wellness. This means that a healthy food should contain beneficial nutrients such as fiber or complex carbohydrates instead of added sugar or unhealthy trans fats.

When it comes to understanding what makes a food “healthy” on a label, it is important to remember that the FDA has specific guidelines for this term. A food must be low in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium; contain at least 10 percent of the Daily Value for one or more essential nutrients; and have an overall nutrient profile that supports health and wellness in order for it to qualify as healthy according to the FDA definition.

Conclusion: In conclusion ‘Healthy’ on a Food Label means a product meets certain nutritional criteria including being low in Total Fat , Saturated Fat , Cholesterol & Sodium ; contains Essential Nutrients & has an overall Nutrient Profile which Supports Health & Wellness .