Nutrient Content Claims
Nutrient content claims are (thankfully) fairly cut and dried. These claims are really more like nutrition descriptions and include terms such as light, free, reduced in, and so forth. The FDA has set specific guidelines regarding the meaning of these terms, so they can be useful if you understand the definition of the term.
Many consumers assume, however, that foods labeled in this manner are necessarily more nutritious or lower in calories than their regular counterparts, and this simply isn’t the case. Compare the labels of regular and reduced-fat peanut butter, for example. On closer inspection, you will notice that although the reduced-fat version does have fewer grams of fat, the calorie content per serving is virtually identical to the regular variety.
It’s always a good idea to look at the Nutrition Facts panel to really understand what you’re purchasing.
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