SODIUM GUIDELINES SET BY THE FDA
| This label: |
Means that the food must contain: |
| Sodium-free or Salt-free |
Less than 5 milligrams (mg) sodium per serving. |
| Very low sodium |
35 mg or less per serving or, if the serving is 30 grams (g)
or less or 2 tablespoons or less, 35 mg or less per 50 g of the food. |
| Low-sodium |
140 mg or less per serving or, if the serving is 30 g or less
or 2 tablespoons or less, 140 mg or less per 50 g of the food. |
| Reduced sodium or Less sodium |
At least 25% less per serving than the reference food. (Some
reduced-sodium foods like broths, canned soups, and soy sauce may still
contain a lot of sodium, so use them sparingly.) |
| Light in sodium or Lightly salted |
At least 50% less sodium per serving than the average
reference amount for the same food with no sodium reduction. (If the
food is not "low in sodium," the statement "not a low-sodium food" must
appear on the same panel as the "Nutrition Facts" panel.), |
Unsalted no salt added,
without added salt |
A "no added salt" or "unsalted" label does not guarantee that the product
is sodium-free. Such labels simply mean that no salt was added
during processing, and the food it resembles and for which it substitutes
is normally processed with salt. (If the food is not "sodium free,"
the statement "not a sodium-free food" or "not for control of sodium in
the diet" must appear on the same panel as the Nutrition Facts panel.) |
