The recent litigation between POM Wonderful and Purely Juice makes me question the correlation between marketing and nutrition labels.

According to Brandweek, Purely Juice claimed that one of its products was “100% pure pomegranate juice” and contained “no added sugar or sweeteners.” Seven different labs showed found that the product contained trace amounts of pomegranate juice and a healthy dose of high-fructose corn syrup — a fairly clear case of false advertising and misleading the consumer into believing the product is healthier than it actually is. But aren’t we as consumers surrounded by these “claims” every day? “Calorie-free” sodas can actually contain up to 5 calories per serving. A product with the word “light” on its package only has to have 1/3 fewer calories than the original, but we’re assuming that the original calories aren’t off the charts to begin with.

Working with many consumer companies, we’ve had to tread lightly on using words like “fresh” or “healthy” in product naming to avoid making false claims on what the product actually delivers. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect in your packaging versus your nutrition label:


The Freebies:
Calorie free: Less than 5 calories per serving
Fat free / sugar free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat or sugar per serving
Sodium free / salt free: less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
Cholesterol free: Less than 2 mg cholesterol and low in saturated fat

How Low Can You Go:
Low fat: 3 grams or less fat per serving
Low calorie: Less than 40 calories per serving
Very low sodium: 35 mg of sodium or less for 2 tbsp of food
Low sodium: Less than 140 mg. of salt per serving
Light in sodium / lightly salted: At least 50% less sodium per serving than the same amount of the regular version of the same food

Back To Basics:
Light: 1/3 fewer calories or ½ the fat of the usual food
Reduced: 25% less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product
Good source of: Provides at least 10% of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient per serving
High in: Provides 20% or more of the Daily Value of a specified nutrient per serving

Healthy: Decreased fat, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol and at least 10 % of the Daily Value of vitamins A, C, iron, protein, calcium, and fiber
Natural: Meat or poultry product that does not contain, and has never contained, an added vitamin, mineral nutrient or food additive; and has not been treated in any way that significantly changes its original physical, chemical or biological state.
Fresh: The food is in a raw state and has not been frozen or subjected to any form of thermal processing or preservation (with a couple of exceptions)
Pure: Used in reference to foods composed of a single ingredient

Low cholesterol: Less than 20 mg. of cholesterol and 2 gm. of fat/serving
Source of fiber: 2 grams or more of fiber per serving
High fiber: 5 or more grams of fiber per serving
Lean (meat, poultry, seafood): 10 grams of fat or less, 4 ½ grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg. cholesterol per 3 ½ serving