"Low sodium" means 140 milligrams or less of sodium per reference amount, the standard serving FDA sets for each kind of food. There's a catch for foods with small reference amounts, 30 grams or 2 tablespoons or less, such as salsa, dips and sauces: they also have to meet the limit per 50 grams, which works out stricter. A salsa's reference amount is 2 tablespoons, about 30 grams, so a low sodium salsa needs 140 mg or less per 50 grams, about 84 mg a serving. The other sodium claims follow the same pattern: sodium free under 5 mg, very low sodium 35 mg or less, reduced sodium at least 25% less than a named comparison food, and "no salt added" only when no salt went in and the food it replaces is normally salted, with "not a sodium free food" by the nutrition label unless it is. Any of these claims also means a Nutrition Facts panel, even for a business small enough to skip one otherwise. In the example below, a Tucson salsa maker finds out its first low sodium recipe misses.
The short version
- Low sodium: 140 mg or less per reference amount.
- Small reference amounts (30 g or 2 tbsp or less): also 140 mg or less per 50 g.
- A salsa at 2 tablespoons needs about 84 mg a serving to be low sodium.
- Sodium free under 5 mg; very low sodium 35 mg or less, with the same 50 g rule.
- Reduced sodium: at least 25% less than a named food, with the comparison.
- No salt added: none added, the regular version is salted, and "not a sodium free food" if it isn't.
- TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the salt in a batch is the salt in the recipe. More below.
The claims
| Claim | Limit per reference amount | Small reference amounts |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium free | Under 5 mg, no salt ingredient unless asterisked | Same |
| Very low sodium | 35 mg or less | Also 35 mg or less per 50 g |
| Low sodium | 140 mg or less | Also 140 mg or less per 50 g |
| Reduced sodium | At least 25% less than a reference food | Same, with the comparison |
| Salt free | Only if sodium free | Same |
| No salt added, unsalted | No salt added; the food it replaces is normally salted; "not a sodium free food" unless it is | Same |
How the nutrition panel works is in how to make a nutrition label, and sugar claims in no added sugar label.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Sodium claims | Sodium free, very low, low and reduced sodium, with the per-50-gram test for small reference amounts (21 CFR 101.61(b)) |
| Salt claims | Salt free only if sodium free; no salt added and unsalted with their conditions (101.61(c)) |
| Reference amounts | All dips, salsa included: 2 tablespoons (21 CFR 101.12) |
| The exemption | The small business exemption from nutrition labeling only applies if the food bears no nutrition claims (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a grocer's low sodium request
Saguaro Salsa Co., the made-up salsa maker in Tucson, Arizona, I use in these examples, was asked by a grocer for a low sodium salsa. Per 2-tablespoon serving, about 30 grams:
| Version | Sodium a serving | Per 50 g | Claim that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 230 mg | 383 mg | None |
| Lighter | 160 mg | 267 mg | Reduced sodium: 30% less than the classic |
| Low sodium, first try | 120 mg | 200 mg | Reduced sodium only: misses low sodium per 50 g |
| Low sodium | 80 mg | 133 mg | Low sodium |
| No salt added | 20 mg | 33 mg | Very low sodium, and no salt added, with "not a sodium free food" |
The first low sodium recipe, at 120 mg a serving, met 140 mg per serving but not per 50 grams, so it couldn't use the claim. The kitchen cut the salt further and leaned on lime and roasted chile for flavor to reach 80 mg. The no-salt-added version also qualified as very low sodium. Both labels carry Nutrition Facts panels, which the claims require. How the salsa is made is in salsa co-packers.
Get the checker
Download the sodium claim checker. One sheet: each product's reference amount, whether it's small, sodium per reference amount, whether salt was added, whether the food it replaces is normally salted, and a reference food's sodium; the sodium per 50 grams and which claims fit 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 heavy hand with the salt on one batch, or a switch to a saltier canned tomato, and the low sodium jars aren't, which only the batch record can show.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the salt in a batch is the salt in the recipe.
Recipes by weight. The low sodium salsa is its own recipe, with its salt and tomatoes by weight, separate from the classic.
Batches by lot. Each batch records which tomato and chile lots it used, so a switch of supplier shows on the record.
Recalls. If a batch was salted 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 |
| Which tomatoes went in | Not recorded | Batches by lot |
| Who got a mis-salted 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.