[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 21, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 21CFR101.65]

[Page 112-114]
 
                        TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS
 
CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 
                          SERVICES (CONTINUED)
 
PART 101_FOOD LABELING--Table of Contents
 
       Subpart D_Specific Requirements for Nutrient Content Claims
 
Sec.  101.65  Implied nutrient content claims and related label 
statements.

    (a) General requirements. An implied nutrient content claim can only 
be made on the label and in labeling of the food if:
    (1) The claim uses one of the terms described in this section in 
accordance with the definition for that term;
    (2) The claim is made in accordance with the general requirements 
for nutrient content claims in Sec.  101.13; and
    (3) The food for which the claim is made is labeled in accordance 
with Sec.  101.9, Sec.  101.10, or Sec.  101.36, as applicable.
    (b) Label statements that are not implied claims. Certain label 
statements about the nature of a product are not nutrient content claims 
unless such statements are made in a context that would make them an 
implied claim under Sec.  101.13(b)(2). The following types of label 
statements are generally not implied nutrient content claims and, as 
such, are not subject to the requirements of Sec.  101.13 and this 
section:
    (1) A claim that a specific ingredient or food component is absent 
from a product, provided that the purpose of such claim is to facilitate 
avoidance of the substances because of food allergies (see Sec.  105.62 
of this chapter), food intolerance, religious beliefs, or dietary 
practices such as vegetarianism or

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other nonnutrition related reason, e.g., ``100 percent milk free;''
    (2) A claim about a substance that is nonnutritive or that does not 
have a nutritive function, e.g., ``contains no preservatives,'' ``no 
artificial colors;''
    (3) A claim about the presence of an ingredient that is perceived to 
add value to the product, e.g., ``made with real butter,'' ``made with 
whole fruit,'' or ``contains honey,'' except that claims about the 
presence of ingredients other than vitamins or minerals or that are 
represented as a source of vitamins and minerals are not allowed on 
labels or in labeling of dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals 
that are not in conventional food form.
    (4) A statement of identity for a food in which an ingredient 
constitutes essentially 100 percent of a food (e.g., ``corn oil,'' ``oat 
bran,'' ``dietary supplement of vitamin C 60 mg tablet'').
    (5) A statement of identity that names as a characterizing 
ingredient, an ingredient associated with a nutrient benefit (e.g., 
``corn oil margarine,'' ``oat bran muffins,'' or ``whole wheat 
bagels''), unless such claim is made in a context in which label or 
labeling statements, symbols, vignettes, or other forms of communication 
suggest that a nutrient is absent or present in a certain amount; and
    (6) A label statement made in compliance with a specific provision 
of part 105 of this chapter, solely to note that a food has special 
dietary usefulness relative to a physical, physiological, pathological, 
or other condition, where the claim identifies the special diet of which 
the food is intended to be a part.
    (c) Particular implied nutrient content claims. (1) Claims about the 
food or an ingredient therein that suggest that a nutrient or an 
ingredient is absent or present in a certain amount (e.g., ``high in oat 
bran'') are implied nutrient content claims and must comply with 
paragraph (a) of this section.
    (2) The phrases ``contains the same amount of [nutrient] as a 
[food]'' and ``as much [nutrient] as a [food]'' may be used on the label 
or in the labeling of foods, provided that the amount of the nutrient in 
the reference food is enough to qualify that food as a ``good source'' 
of that nutrient, and the labeled food, on a per serving basis, is an 
equivalent, good source of that nutrient (e.g., ``as much fiber as an 
apple,'' ``Contains the same amount of Vitamin C as an 8 oz glass of 
orange juice.'').
    (3) Claims may be made that a food contains or is made with an 
ingredient that is known to contain a particular nutrient, or is 
prepared in a way that affects the content of a particular nutrient in 
the food, if the finished food is either ``low'' in or a ``good source'' 
of the nutrient that is associated with the ingredient or type of 
preparation. If a more specific level is claimed (e.g., ``high in ------
), that level of the nutrient must be present in the food. For example, 
a claim that a food contains oat bran is a claim that it is a good 
source of dietary fiber; that a food is made only with vegetable oil is 
a claim that it is low in saturated fat; and that a food contains no oil 
is a claim that it is fat free.
    (d) General nutritional claims. (1) This paragraph covers labeling 
claims that are implied nutrient content claims because they:
    (i) Suggest that a food because of its nutrient content may help 
consumers maintain healthy dietary practices; and
    (ii) Are made in connection with an explicit or implicit claim or 
statement about a nutrient (e.g., ``healthy, contains 3 grams of fat'').
    (2) You may use the term ``healthy'' or related terms (e.g., 
``health,'' ``healthful,'' ``healthfully,'' ``healthfulness,'' 
``healthier,'' ``healthiest,'' ``healthily,'' and ``healthiness'') as an 
implied nutrient content claim on the label or in labeling of a food 
that is useful in creating a diet that is consistent with dietary 
recommendations if:
    (i) The food meets the following conditions for fat, saturated fat, 
cholesterol, and other nutrients:

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------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    The           The
   If the food      The fat      saturated    cholesterol     The food
      is...        level must    fat level     level must       must
                     be...      must be...       be...       contain...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(A) A raw fruit   Low fat as   Low           The            N/A
 or vegetable      defined in   saturated     disclosure
                   Sec.         fat as        level for
                   101.62(b)(   defined in    cholesterol
                   2)           Sec.          specified in
                                101.62(c)(2   Sec.
                                )             101.13(h) or
                                              less
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(B) A single-     Low fat as   Low           The            N/A
 ingredient or a   defined in   saturated     disclosure
 mixture of        Sec.         fat as        level for
 frozen or         101.62(b)(   defined in    cholesterol
 canned fruits     2)           Sec.          specified in
 and                            101.62(c)(2   Sec.
 vegetables\1\                  )             101.13(h) or
                                              less
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(C) An enriched   Low fat as   Low           The            N/A
 cereal-grain      defined in   saturated     disclosure
 product that      Sec.         fat as        level for
 conforms to a     101.62(b)(   defined in    cholesterol
 standard of       2)           Sec.          specified in
 identity in                    101.62(c)(2   Sec.
 part 136, 137                  )             101.13(h) or
 or 139 of this                               less
 chapter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) A raw,        Less than 5  Less than 2   Less than 95   At least 10
 single-           grams (g)    g saturated   mg             percent of
 ingredient        total fat    fat per RA    cholesterol    the RDI\3\
 seafood or game   per RA\2\    and per 100   per RA and     or the
 meat              and per      g             per 100 g      DRV\4\ per
                   100 g                                     RA of one
                                                             or more of
                                                             vitamin A,
                                                             vitamin C,
                                                             calcium,
                                                             iron,
                                                             protein, or
                                                             fiber
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(E) A meal        Low fat as   Low           90 mg or less  At least 10
 product as        defined in   saturated     cholesterol    percent of
 defined in Sec.   Sec.         fat as        per LS\5\      the RDI or
   101.13(l) or    101.62(b)(   defined in                   DRV per LS
 a main dish       3)           Sec.                         of two
 product as                     101.62(c)(3                  nutrients
 defined in Sec.                )                            (for a main
   101.13(m)                                                 dish
                                                             product) or
                                                             of three
                                                             nutrients
                                                             (for a meal
                                                             product)
                                                             of: vitamin
                                                             A, vitamin
                                                             C, calcium,
                                                             iron,
                                                             protein, or
                                                             fiber
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(F) A food not    Low fat as   Low           The            At least 10
 specifically      defined in   saturated     disclosure     percent of
 listed in this    Sec.         fat as        level for      the RDI or
 table             101.62(b)(   defined in    cholesterol    the DRV per
                   2)           Sec.          specified in   RA of one
                                101.62(c)(2   Sec.           or more of
                                )             101.13(h) or   vitamin A,
                                              less           vitamin C,
                                                             calcium,
                                                             iron,
                                                             protein or
                                                             fiber
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ May include ingredients whose addition does not change the nutrient
  profile of the fruit or vegetable.
\2\ RA means Reference Amount Customarily Consumed per Eating Occasion
  (Sec.   101.12(b)).
\3\ RDI means Reference Daily Intake (Sec.   101.9(c)(8)(iv)).
\4\ DRV means Daily Reference Value (Sec.   101.9(c)(9)).
\5\ LS means Labeled Serving, i.e., the serving size that is specified
  in the nutrition information on the product label (Sec.   101.9(b)).

    (ii) The food meets the following conditions for sodium:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         If the food is...               The sodium level must be...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(A) A food with a RA that is         480 mg or less sodium per RA and
 greater than 30 g or 2 tablespoons   per LS
 (tbsp.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(B) A food with a RA that is equal   480 mg or less sodium per 50 g\1\
 to or less than 30 g or 2 tbsp.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(C) A meal product as defined in     600 mg or less sodium per LS
 Sec.   101.13(l) or a main dish
 product as defined in Sec.
 101.13(m)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For dehydrated food that is typically reconstituted with water or a
  liquid that contains insignificant amounts per RA of all nutrients (as
  defined in Sec.   101.9(f)(1)), the 50 g refers to the ``prepared''
  form of the product.

    (iii) The food complies with the definition and declaration 
requirements in this part 101 for any specific nutrient content claim on 
the label or in labeling, and
    (iv) If you add a nutrient to the food specified in paragraphs 
(d)(2)(i)(D), (d)(2)(i)(E), or (d)(2)(i)(F) of this section to meet the 
10 percent requirement, that addition must be in accordance with the 
fortification policy for foods in Sec.  104.20 of this chapter.

[58 FR 2413, Jan. 6, 1993; 58 FR 17343, Apr. 2, 1993, as amended at 59 
FR 394, Jan. 4, 1994; 59 FR 24249, May 10, 1994; 59 FR 50828, Oct. 6, 
1994; 62 FR 49858, Sept. 23, 1997; 63 FR 14355, Mar. 25, 1998; 70 FR 
56848, Sept. 29, 2005]

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