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Nutrient Content Claim Validator

The free Nutrient Content Claim Validator lists every FDA nutrient content claim your product can legally make, such as "low sodium", "fat free" or "good source", from the per-serving values you enter. Each claim is cited to its paragraph in 21 CFR 101.13, 101.54, 101.60, 101.61 or 101.62, with the threshold it tests.

Per-serving values

Eligible claims

§101.60(c)(2)
No added sugars
0 g added sugars < 0.5
§101.61(b)(4)
Low sodium
100 mg ≤ 140 mg
§101.62(c)(2)
Low saturated fat
0.5 g sat fat ≤ 1 g AND 3% cals from sat ≤ 15%
§101.62(d)(2)
Low cholesterol
15 mg ≤ 20 mg AND sat fat 0.5 g ≤ 2 g
§101.54(b)
High in Dietary Fiber
21% DV ≥ 20%: "High" / "Rich in" / "Excellent source of Dietary Fiber"
§101.54(c)
Good source of Protein
16% DV between 10–19%: "Good source of Protein"
§101.54(b)
High in Vitamin D
20% DV ≥ 20%: "High" / "Rich in" / "Excellent source of Vitamin D"
§101.54(b)
High in Calcium
20% DV ≥ 20%: "High" / "Rich in" / "Excellent source of Calcium"
§101.54(b)
High in Iron
22% DV ≥ 20%: "High" / "Rich in" / "Excellent source of Iron"
Validator scope is the FDA nutrient-content-claim rules. Health claims (§ 101.14 and § 101.72–83) and structure/function claims (DSHEA) fall outside this tool. Verify final label copy with regulatory counsel before printing.

How nutrient content claims are regulated

Claims are defined terms, not adjectives

"Low fat", "high fibre", "good source of calcium", "reduced sodium", "light" - each of these is a defined regulatory term under 21 CFR § 101.13 and the sections that follow, with a numeric threshold attached. They are not descriptive language you can apply by judgement.

Using one without meeting its threshold misbrands the product. That is true even when the claim is, in ordinary English, accurate about the food.

The thresholds run per RACC, not per package

Most nutrient content claims are assessed against the Reference Amount Customarily Consumed for the product category, not against your package or your chosen serving. This is where claims most often fail on a technicality: the number works for the serving printed on the panel but not for the reference amount the rule actually uses.

Some claims carry additional conditions - small RACC products have their own rules, and certain claims require the food to meet criteria on other nutrients before the claim is permitted at all.

Claims can void an exemption

Small businesses relying on an exemption from nutrition labeling under § 101.9(j) lose that exemption for any product bearing a nutrient content claim or health claim.

This is a genuinely common and expensive surprise: a producer who was legitimately exempt adds "high in protein" to a sticker because it helps the product sell, and has now opted into full Nutrition Facts labeling for that item.

Nutrient content, health, and structure/function claims are different things

Nutrient content claims characterise a nutrient level - "low sodium". Health claims link a nutrient to a disease and are authorised individually by the FDA, with prescribed wording. Structure/function claims describe an effect on normal body structure or function and carry their own requirements, particularly on supplements.

They sit under different rules, and a sentence can drift from one category into another without the writer noticing. That drift is what turns a permitted claim into an unapproved drug claim.

This tool checks arithmetic, not marketing

What is validated here is whether your declared values meet the defined threshold for the claim. It cannot tell you whether the claim is substantiated in the broader sense, whether it is misleading in context, or whether the FTC would take a view on how you use it in advertising.

Passing here means the number qualifies. It does not mean the whole claim is safe.

For the updated "healthy" criteria, see the FDA healthy claim requirements and the limits by food group.

Reference information, not legal advice. Requirements change and turn on facts specific to your product - confirm against the current regulation before relying on it.

Common questions

What is a nutrient content claim?

Any statement characterising the level of a nutrient in a food: "low fat", "high in fiber", "reduced sodium", "excellent source of calcium". They are defined and restricted by 21 CFR 101.13 and the sections that follow. If a phrase implies a nutrient level it is a claim and must meet the definition, whether or not it was intended as one.

What do "good source" and "high in" require?

"Good source of", "contains" and "provides" mean 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value per reference amount. "High in", "rich in" and "excellent source of" mean 20 percent or more. These are set in 21 CFR 101.54 and they apply per RACC, not per package, which is why a larger pack does not automatically qualify.

What are the disclosure and disqualifying levels?

A food exceeding certain levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium per reference amount can still carry a nutrient content claim, but the claim must be accompanied by a disclosure statement such as "See nutrition information for fat content". 21 CFR 101.13(h) sets these disclosure levels. Health claims are different: 21 CFR 101.14(a)(4) sets disqualifying levels, and a food above them cannot carry the health claim at all. This catches products that are genuinely a good source of one nutrient while being high in another, and it is the rule most often missed when a claim is added late in a project.

Are "natural", "clean" and "wholesome" regulated the same way?

No. Those are not nutrient content claims and are not defined by the sections above. FDA has a longstanding informal policy on "natural" but no binding definition for most foods, and terms like "clean" have none at all. They carry a different kind of risk, closer to misbranding or false advertising than to a labelling threshold. This tool does not speak to them.

Is a health claim the same as a nutrient content claim?

No, and the distinction matters. A nutrient content claim describes how much of a nutrient is present. A health claim links a nutrient or food to a disease or health-related condition, and only specific authorised or qualified claims with prescribed wording are permitted. A structure/function claim is a third category again. This tool validates nutrient content claims.

Other tools

FDA Label ChecklistEvery element a US package must carry, cited. Tick off what you have.DV Calculator%DV against the 2016 FDA reference values.RACC Lookup79 FDA reference amounts. Serving size for any product.
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The rules this tool implements

Every one is cited to the paragraph it comes from.

🇺🇸 Standard Vertical LabelClaims are checked against the values you declare on this panel.

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