"Low saturated fat" on a label means two things at once: 1 gram or less of saturated fat per reference amount, FDA's standard serving for that kind of food, and no more than 15% of calories from saturated fat. The second test is the one that catches small servings: a food with 1 gram of saturated fat and only 50 calories gets 18% of its calories from it, and fails. "Saturated fat free" means under half a gram of saturated fat and under half a gram of trans fat. Each claim comes with a line next to it: the food's total fat and cholesterol, at least half the claim's type size, though total fat can be left off a low saturated fat claim at 3 grams or less, and cholesterol under 2 mg. A food that's low without being made that way says so for all foods of its kind, "hummus, a low saturated fat food". And like any claim, it brings a Nutrition Facts panel. In the example below, a Michigan dip maker checks four dips.
The short version
- Low saturated fat: 1 g or less per reference amount, and no more than 15% of calories.
- Saturated fat free: under 0.5 g saturated fat and under 0.5 g trans fat.
- Disclose total fat and cholesterol next to the claim, at least half its size.
- Total fat can be left off a low saturated fat claim at 3 g or less; cholesterol under 2 mg.
- Foods naturally low say so for all foods of their kind.
- Any claim means a Nutrition Facts panel.
- TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the tahini in a batch is the recipe's. More below.
The claims
| Claim | Saturated fat | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Saturated fat free | Under 0.5 g, with trans fat under 0.5 g | No ingredient understood to contain saturated fat, unless asterisked |
| Low saturated fat | 1 g or less | No more than 15% of calories from saturated fat |
| Reduced saturated fat | At least 25% less than a named food | The comparison on the label |
The fat and cholesterol claims are in fat free claim and cholesterol free claim.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Saturated fat claims | Free, low and reduced; total fat and cholesterol disclosed next to the claim; naturally low foods labeled for all foods of their type (21 CFR 101.62(c)) |
| Reference amount | Dips, 2 tablespoons (21 CFR 101.12) |
| The exemption | The small business exemption from nutrition labeling applies only without nutrition claims (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: four dips
Cedar & Olive Dips, a made-up dip maker in Dearborn, Michigan, was asked by a grocer which dips could go under a heart-healthy shelf tag that reads "low saturated fat". Per 2-tablespoon, 30 g serving:
| Dip | Calories | Total fat | Saturated fat | From saturated fat | Claim | Next to it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hummus | 70 | 5 g | 0.7 g | 9% | "Hummus, a low saturated fat food" | Contains 5 g of total fat |
| Baba ganoush | 40 | 3 g | 0.6 g | 13.5% | "Baba ganoush, a low saturated fat food" | Nothing: 3 g of fat |
| Tzatziki | 35 | 2.5 g | 1.6 g | 41% | None | |
| Muhammara | 80 | 6.5 g | 0.6 g | 6.8% | "Muhammara, a low saturated fat food" | Contains 6.5 g of total fat |
The tzatziki, made with whole-milk yogurt, fails on both counts. The other three qualify without being reformulated, so each claim names the kind of food, not the brand. None of the dips has cholesterol, so only total fat is disclosed, and the baba ganoush, at 3 grams, needs nothing. All four tubs now carry Nutrition Facts panels. Which dips can say healthy is in healthy claim FDA.
Get the checker
Download the saturated fat claim checker. One sheet: each product's reference amount, calories, total, saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, and whether it was made lower in saturated fat; the share of calories from saturated fat, the claim that fits, its wording and the disclosure fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The claim is true for the recipe that was analyzed. A batch of hummus with an extra cup of tahini changes the saturated fat, and only the batch record shows how much went in.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the tahini in a batch is the recipe's tahini.
Recipes by weight. Each dip is its own recipe, with its ingredients by weight.
Batches by lot. Each batch records which ingredient lots it used and how many containers it filled.
Recalls. If a batch was made from the wrong recipe, one report shows every customer who got it.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which recipe a batch followed | Remembered | Each batch from its recipe |
| Tahini used in a batch | Not recorded | From the recipe and batch |
| Who got a wrong batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Recipes, 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.