"Lean" and "extra lean" on meat are defined by USDA, and both are about three numbers, checked per 100 grams and per reference amount. Lean means less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol. Extra lean means less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol. For raw meat the reference amount is 114 grams, more than 100, so it's the harder of the two tests. That's why ground beef sold as 90% lean isn't "lean": 10 grams of fat per 100 grams isn't less than 10. The "90% lean, 10% fat" line is a different thing, a percentage statement USDA allows on ground meat as long as the fat percentage sits right next to it in the same size, color and type. And there's a reason to prefer it: a small butcher shop that labels ground beef with only the percentages keeps its exemption from nutrition labeling, while the word "lean" or "extra lean" brings a Nutrition Facts panel. FDA's rule for seafood and game meat uses the same limits. In the example below, an Iowa butcher works out what its five grinds can say.
The short version
- Lean: under 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, under 95 mg cholesterol.
- Extra lean: under 5 g fat, under 2 g saturated fat, under 95 mg cholesterol.
- Both per 100 g and per reference amount: 114 g for raw meat.
- 90% lean ground beef isn't lean; 93% is; extra lean takes about 96%.
- "93% lean, 7% fat" is a percentage statement, with the fat in the same size and color.
- A small business keeps its nutrition label exemption with the percentages alone; "lean" brings a Nutrition Facts panel.
- TaroStack records which trim went into each grind, by lot. More below.
The limits
| Claim | Fat | Saturated fat | Cholesterol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean | Less than 10 g | 4.5 g or less | Less than 95 mg |
| Extra lean | Less than 5 g | Less than 2 g | Less than 95 mg |
| Both | Per 100 g and per reference amount |
Ground beef itself can't be more than 30% fat. The fat and cholesterol claims for other foods are in fat free claim and cholesterol free claim.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Lean and extra lean | The limits per 100 g and per reference amount (9 CFR 317.362(e)) |
| Percentage statement | Ground or chopped meat that isn't low fat may state its lean percentage with the fat percentage next to it, same color, size, type and background (317.362(f)) |
| The exemption | Small businesses, 500 or fewer people and 100,000 pounds or less of the product a year, are exempt from nutrition labeling without claims; ground meat keeps the exemption with the percentage statement and no other claim (9 CFR 317.400(a)(1)) |
| Reference amount | Cuts of meat and beef patties, 114 g ready-to-cook, which the example uses for raw ground beef (9 CFR 317.312) |
| Seafood and game | The same limits under FDA (21 CFR 101.62(e)) |
| Ground beef | No more than 30% fat (9 CFR 319.15(a)) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: five grinds
Cedar Valley Butcher, the made-up retail butcher shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa, I use in these examples, wanted "lean" on its 93/7 and "extra lean" on its 96/4 for the self-serve case. Per 114 g serving, raw:
| Grind | Fat | Saturated fat | Cholesterol | Claim that fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80/20 | 22.8 g | 8.7 g | 81 mg | Neither |
| 85/15 | 17.1 g | 6.7 g | 78 mg | Neither |
| 90/10 | 11.4 g | 4.5 g | 74 mg | Neither: fat isn't under 10 g |
| 93/7 | 8.0 g | 3.3 g | 72 mg | Lean |
| 96/4 | 4.6 g | 1.9 g | 68 mg | Extra lean, barely |
The 96/4 makes extra lean by a tenth of a gram of saturated fat, so a grind that came out at 95/5 wouldn't. And both claims would have meant Nutrition Facts panels on packages that the shop's size lets it skip. It went with percentages on every pack, "93% lean, 7% fat" and "96% lean, 4% fat", the fat line the same size and color as the lean, and left the words off. How the shop logs its grinds is in butcher shop inventory, and its numbers in butcher shop business plan.
Get the checker
Download the lean and extra lean checker. One sheet: each product's reference amount and its fat, saturated fat and cholesterol per 100 g; the amounts per reference amount, the claim that fits, the lean and fat percentage statement, and what each means for the nutrition label fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
A grind's lean point depends on the trim that went into it. A box of fattier trim in Tuesday's 96/4, and the percentages on those packs are wrong, which only a record of the trim in each grind shows.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack records which trim went into each grind, by lot.
Receiving by lot. Each box of trim is received with its plant and lot.
Grinds as batches. Each grind is a batch from its recipe, recording which trim lots it used and how many pounds it made.
Recalls. If a trim lot is recalled, one report shows every grind it went into and every customer who got one.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which trim went into a grind | The grinding log | Batches by lot |
| A grind's recipe | Remembered | Each batch from its recipe |
| Who got a recalled grind | Receipts | One recall report |
Lots, batches and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.