# calorie-free-individual-food — FDA nutrient content claim qualification criteria

For calorie-free-individual-food, claim term is calorie free; nutrient is calories; food format is individual food (not a meal or main dish product); threshold is less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving; cfr section is 21 CFR 101.60(b)(1)(i), recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

- **Claim ID:** calorie-free-individual-food _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Claim term:** calorie free _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Nutrient:** calories _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Food format:** individual food (not a meal or main dish product) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Threshold:** less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR section:** 21 CFR 101.60(b)(1)(i) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Special conditions:** if the food meets this condition without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower the caloric content, it is labeled to disclose that calories are not usually present in the food _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> The terms “calorie free,” “free of calories,” “no calories,” “zero calories,” “without calories,” “trivial source of calories,” “negligible source of calories,” or “dietarily insignificant source of calories” may be used on the label or in the labeling of foods, provided that: ( i ) The food contains less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving. ( ii ) As required in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(e)(2)> § 101.13(e)(2) , if the food meets this condition without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower the caloric content, it is labeled to disclose that calories are not usually present in the food (e.g., “cider vinegar, a calorie free food”).

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-D/section-101.60

Last verified: 2026-08-17. Review by: 2027-08-17.
Part of [FDA nutrient content claim qualification criteria](https://referencesource.org/fda-nutrient-content-claim-criteria/).