Just bought some yogurt. Couple of things strike you when you read the contents: first, there’s a BIG zero, followed by a tiny dot and an also tiny “1%” (something like 0.1%). And right below, it says “fat-free”…in bold letters, of course.
Two questions: Can they legally call it “fat-free” if it contains even 0.1% m.f.? And would it have made much of a difference to your tastebuds had they left out this 0.1%?
As an aside, on the top there is the usual mention “Best before” followed by the date. But here’s the kicker: it reads “March 31, 9:05”. I kid you not! Didn’t specify if it was A.M. or P.M. though. Should I worry?
I think converting a food that normally would contain fat into a “fat free” product is sort of like trying to accelerate to the speed of light - the closer you get to your desired value, that harder it is to continue getting closer.
In the U.S., there are guidelines regarding when you can label something “fat-free,” “low-sodium,” and the like.
If I am not mistaken, the rule about fat is that it has to have less than 1 gram of fat per serving to be called fat-free. Therefore, your yogurt qualifies, even though it does have fat.
This is why you see packaged deli ham slices (lunch meat) labeled fat-free. How can HAM be fat free? Because the “serving” is one slice. And the one slice has less than one gram of fat.
I wouldn’t worry about the disputed expiration time window. Eat the yogurt before the 31st, and I expect you will survive.
Interesting… So who decides what ‘one serving’ constitutes? The FDA, or the seller? What is stopping me from making 100g packages of ice cream and writing “Fat Free, 0.8 g fat per serving, serving size: 1g, contains 100 servings”?
I know that the serving size is supposed to be “reasonable” based on the size of the package. This is why 12 oz. cans of Coke now have only “1 serving,” not the “1.5 servings” that they used to list. But if you look on a 2 liter bottle of Coke, they list the serving size as 8 oz. (Unfortunately, I don’t have any Coke in the house, so I can’t fact-check right now)
This would make me think that it is up to the maufacturer…obviously there is no federally mandated size of a serving of Coke. But the federal government must have SOME say, otherwise some companies would probably pull just the sort of shenanigans that you described.
Now, I want to meet the person who thinks that 1 slice of ham is a reasonable serving…
That whole serving size thing is a crock. I remember when Kraft macaroni and cheese used to say “servings per container: 6.” Yeah, right. Actual servings per container: 1–straight from the cook pot.
And who gets 8-12 servings from a box of cereal?
The good thing about yogurt is that you can eat it 3 weeks out of date, and you can’t tell the difference (I eat it all the time for lunch).
So, I guess the deli meat manufacturer thinks that one slice of ham is the “amount customarily consumed per eating occasion.” I guess I had 6 eating occasions at once today.
Great link. The FDA guideline for “one serving” sounds pretty rigorous though. “Amount customarily consumed per eating occasion” is not a rule but a description of their guideline. I still can’t find the full text of the guideline, but it sounds like if you want to call one slice of ham one serving, it has to be at least 3/4 of the reference size. I think for meat products the reference is around 50 grams, so the ham must weigh 35 grams or so… Doesn’t make sense.
My favorite is when they put “fat free” on the spray oils (like Pam). These products are literally 100 percent fat! But they define a serving as something like 1/3 of a second of spraying, which is less than a gram.
Many thanks all. Kat, I thought I had seen something similar to this at some point but simply couldn’t remember where. Your URL just brought what was subconscious to the conscious. I now remember having noticed it while perusing Unca Cece’s fount of wisdom some time ago.
“Fat-free” food does not have to be devoid of fat. I’m not exactly sure of the exact percentages. It is a small amount. Skim milk still has fat in it and it’s now able to be called fat-free under the newer labeling rules.
Here’s another thing most people do not realize: “non-dairy” does not mean “dairy-free”. FDA rules, not mine! I don’t try to figure them out.
don’t forget that fat free foods usally contain more carbs, and due to lack of fat enter the blood stream faster, which produces a greater insulin response, which for most of us just prompts our bodies to convert the carbs to fat.
