Nutrient Claims

There are often health claims on products on the grocery shelves such as “reduced in calories” or “source of fibre.” This information can also help guide you to make a healthy choice. These claims are Nutrient Content Claims and they are established by Health Canada. Definitions of the claims are included below.

Keyword	What they mean
Free	an amount so small, health experts consider it nutritionally insignificant
Sodium free	less than 5 mg of sodium*
Cholesterol free	less than 2 mg cholesterol, and low in saturated fat (includes a restriction on trans fat)* not necessarily low in total fat
Low	always associated with a very small amount
Low fat	3 g or less fat*
Low in saturated fat	2 g or less of saturated and trans fat combined
Reduced	at least 25% less of a nutrient compared with a similar product
Reduced in calories	at least 25% less energy than the food to which it is compared
Source	always associated with a "significant" amount
Source of fibre	2 grams or more fibre*
Good source of calcium	165 mg or more of calcium*
Light	when referring to a nutritional characteristic of a product, it is allowed only on foods that are either "reduced in fat" or "reduced in energy" (calories) - explanation on the label of what makes the food "light"; this is also true if "light" refers to sensory characteristic, such as "light in colour**

*per reference amount and per serving of stated size (specific amount of food listed in Nutrition Facts)

** three exceptions that do not require an explanation are "light maple syrup", "light rum" and "light salted" with respect to fish. Note that a separate provision is made for the claim "lightly salted" which may be used when a food contains at least 50% less added sodium compared with a similar product. Source: Health Canada - Nutrition Labeling Tool Kit for Educators