“Low fat”, “good source of fiber”, “reduced sodium” and “healthy” are not marketing words a brand can use freely. Each one is a nutrient content claim with an exact definition in FDA’s food labeling rules (21 CFR Part 101). Use the checker below to see which claims a food meets, which it fails and why. The rules themselves are explained after it, with the regulation behind each number.
FDA Nutrient Content Claim Checker
Enter the nutrition values for one serving. The checker lists the FDA claims the food meets and the ones it fails, with the reason and the rule.
Educational aid, not legal advice. It checks the numbers only. Most claims have extra wording, ingredient or processing conditions, and the “healthy” food-group logic is simplified (see the notes under the results). Confirm against 21 CFR Part 101 or ask a regulatory professional before printing a label.
The checker compares the numbers you enter with FDA’s thresholds. It does not check ingredient, processing or label-wording conditions, which are summarized next to each claim. Simplifications: values are treated as both per RACC and per labeled serving; “healthy” uses the food-group amounts you enter, counts the five protein subgroups as one group, and does not check the original 1994 definition. Source: 21 CFR 101.13, 101.54, 101.56, 101.60, 101.61, 101.62 and 101.65 (as amended by the December 27, 2024 “healthy” final rule). Rules checked November 2026.
The claim checker needs JavaScript. The rules it applies are summarized in the article below.
How to Use the Nutrient Content Claim Checker
- Describe the food. Choose individual food, main dish or meal, and enter the reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) in grams. For a main dish or meal, enter the labeled serving weight instead.
- Enter the nutrition values for that amount. Use the actual lab or database values rather than the rounded numbers on the label. Leave anything you don’t know blank: the claims that need it will tell you.
- Add optional details. Vitamins and minerals as %DV, a reference food for “reduced”, “less”, “light” and “more” claims, and food-group amounts for the “healthy” claim.
- Press Check claims. Each claim shows Qualifies, Qualifies, with conditions (the numbers pass, but the rule adds label wording or ingredient conditions), Does not qualify, or Need more information, with the CFR paragraph.
If you’re new to the panel itself, start with how to read a Nutrition Facts label.
What Counts as a Nutrient Content Claim
A nutrient content claim is any statement on a label that describes the level of a nutrient, either directly (“low sodium”, “10 g of protein”) or by implication (“healthy”, “high in oat bran”). Under 21 CFR 101.13(b), a food can only use the terms FDA has defined, and only when it meets the definition. That’s why “low sugar” never appears on a compliant U.S. label: FDA has not defined it.
Most claims are judged per RACC, the standard amount set for each food category in 21 CFR 101.12. Two adjustments matter:
- Small reference amounts. If the RACC is 30 g or less, or 2 tablespoons or less (think salad dressing, crackers, nuts), most “low” claims must also be met per 50 g. A dressing with 2 g of fat in a 30 g serving has 3.3 g per 50 g, so it isn’t low fat.
- Meals and main dishes. A meal weighs at least 10 oz and a main dish at least 6 oz (101.13(l) and (m)). Their “low” claims are judged per 100 g, so a large plate isn’t penalized for its size.
“Free” and “Low” Claims
| Nutrient | Free | Low (per RACC) | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | Under 5 | 40 or less | 101.60(b) |
| Total fat | Under 0.5 g | 3 g or less | 101.62(b) |
| Saturated fat | Under 0.5 g, and under 0.5 g trans fat | 1 g or less, and 15% or less of calories | 101.62(c) |
| Cholesterol | Under 2 mg, and 2 g or less saturated fat | 20 mg or less, and 2 g or less saturated fat | 101.62(d) |
| Sodium | Under 5 mg | 140 mg or less (very low: 35 mg) | 101.61(b) |
| Sugars | Under 0.5 g | Not defined | 101.60(c) |
For meals and main dishes, “low” is per 100 g: 120 calories, 3 g fat (and no more than 30% of calories from fat), 1 g saturated fat (under 10% of calories), 20 mg cholesterol and 140 mg sodium. A “sugar free” food that isn’t also low or reduced in calories must say “not a reduced calorie food” or similar next to the claim, so shoppers don’t read it as a diet food.
“Reduced”, “Less” and “Light”
These are relative claims, so they need a reference food: usually the brand’s regular version or a representative product of the same type (101.13(j)). The label must name the reference and state the difference.
- Reduced or less calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium or sugar: at least 25% less per RACC. You can’t make the claim if the reference food is already “low” in that nutrient.
- Light or lite (101.56): if the reference gets half or more of its calories from fat, fat must drop by at least 50%. Otherwise the food needs one-third fewer calories or 50% less fat. “Light in sodium” needs 50% less sodium.
- Meals and main dishes compare per 100 g, and they can only use “light” if they meet the “low calorie” or “low fat” definition.
Relative claims are where honest-sounding labels most often go wrong, a pattern we cover in how nutrition labels can be misleading.
“High”, “Good Source” and “More”
These claims use the Daily Values from the 2016 Nutrition Facts update (see FDA Nutrition Facts label changes):
- High, rich in or excellent source: 20% DV or more per RACC (101.54(b)). For fiber that’s 5.6 g; for protein, 10 g.
- Good source, contains or provides: 10 to 19% DV (101.54(c)). Fiber 2.8 g; protein 5 g.
- More, added, extra or plus: at least 10% of the DV more than the reference food (101.54(e)).
Two details catch people out. First, a protein claim must use the PDCAAS-corrected %DV (101.9(c)(7)), so 6 g of a lower-quality protein may fall below 10%. Second, a fiber claim on a food that isn’t low fat must state the total fat next to the claim (101.54(d)). A meal or main dish can’t be “high” in a nutrient on its own totals; it can only say it contains a named food that is.
Lean and Extra Lean
FDA’s “lean” applies to seafood, game meat, some mixed dishes and meals or main dishes (101.62(e)). Lean means less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat and less than 95 mg cholesterol, per RACC and per 100 g. Extra lean cuts that to less than 5 g fat and less than 2 g saturated fat. Beef, pork and poultry follow USDA rules instead, with the same numbers.
The “See Nutrition Information” Disclosure
When a food carries any nutrient content claim but contains more than 13 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol or 480 mg sodium per RACC (also per 50 g for small RACCs), the label must add “See nutrition information for ___ content” next to the claim (101.13(h)). A high-fiber granola with 14 g of fat can still say “high fiber”, but it also needs “See nutrition information for fat content”. Main dishes use 19.5 g, 6 g, 90 mg and 720 mg; meals use 26 g, 8 g, 120 mg and 960 mg.
The Updated “Healthy” Claim
FDA published a new definition of “healthy” on December 27, 2024. It took effect on April 28, 2025, after a postponement from February 25, and the compliance date is February 25, 2028. FDA has said it will check compliance with the new definition for products labeled with the claim on or after that date, so some labels made before then still follow the 1994 rules.
The new rule moved from nutrient minimums to food groups, in line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A food must contain a minimum “food group equivalent” (for example ½ cup-equivalent of vegetables, ¾ oz-equivalent of whole grains or ⅔ cup-equivalent of dairy) and stay under limits for added sugars, sodium and saturated fat:
| Product | Food groups | Added sugars | Sodium | Saturated fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable or fruit | 1 equivalent | 1 g | 230 mg | 1 g |
| Whole-grain food | 1 equivalent | 5 g | 230 mg | 1 g |
| Dairy | 1 equivalent | 2.5 g | 230 mg | 2 g |
| Mixed product | 1 total, ¼ from 2 groups | 5 g | 345 mg | 2 g |
| Main dish | 2 total, ½ from 2 groups | 7.5 g | 460 mg | 3 g |
| Meal | 3 total, ½ from 3 groups | 10 g | 690 mg | 4 g |
Individual foods with a RACC of 50 g or less are judged per 50 g. Saturated fat that occurs naturally in seafood, nuts, seeds and soy doesn’t count, which is why salmon, walnuts and olive oil can now qualify. Plain raw fruits and vegetables, plain whole foods with nothing but water added, and plain water, tea or coffee qualify automatically (101.65(d)). For more on what the word really tells a shopper, see using food labels to make healthier choices.
What the Checker Doesn’t Do
This is an educational aid, not legal advice. It checks the numbers you enter against the thresholds and lists the other conditions, but it can’t verify them. In particular:
- It assumes the labeled serving equals the RACC for individual foods.
- For “healthy”, you enter the food-group equivalents yourself; for mixed products, main dishes and meals it counts the five protein subgroups as one group; it doesn’t check the original 1994 definition; and it reads “0% DV” for oils as a value that rounds to 0%.
- It doesn’t check ingredient conditions (such as no added fat in a “fat free” food), fortification policy, dietary supplements, or USDA-regulated meat and poultry.
Every threshold was checked against 21 CFR 101.13, 101.54, 101.56, 101.60, 101.61 and 101.62 and the December 2024 “healthy” final rule in November 2026. Unlike “natural”, which FDA has never formally defined, these claims have hard numbers, so a label either meets them or it doesn’t. For everything else a label must carry, see what has to be on a food label.
Link to or Cite This Tool
Teachers, dietetics programs and food startups are welcome to link to the checker or use it in class. No sign-up is needed and nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Link:
<a href="https://compliancenaturally.com/nutrient-content-claim-checker/">FDA Nutrient Content Claim Checker</a> (Compliance Naturally)Citation (APA style): Compliance Naturally. (2026). FDA nutrient content claim checker [Online tool]. https://compliancenaturally.com/nutrient-content-claim-checker/
If you find a threshold that looks wrong, or a rule has changed, please let us know and we’ll correct it.
Sources
- 21 CFR Part 101, Food Labeling (eCFR), in particular 101.13, 101.54, 101.56, 101.60, 101.61, 101.62 and 101.65
- Food Labeling: Nutrient Content Claims; Definition of Term “Healthy”, final rule, 89 FR 106064 (December 27, 2024)
- Use of the “Healthy” Claim on Food Labeling, FDA
- Nutrient Content Claims, FDA
