# cholesterol-free-main-dish — FDA nutrient content claim qualification criteria

For cholesterol-free-main-dish, claim term is cholesterol free; nutrient is cholesterol; food format is main dish; threshold is less than 2 mg of cholesterol per labeled serving; cfr section is 21 CFR 101.62(d)(1)(i)(A), recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

- **Claim ID:** cholesterol-free-main-dish _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Claim term:** cholesterol free _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Nutrient:** cholesterol _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Food format:** main dish _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Threshold:** less than 2 mg of cholesterol per labeled serving _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR section:** 21 CFR 101.62(d)(1)(i)(A) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> The terms “cholesterol free,” “free of cholesterol,” “zero cholesterol,” “without cholesterol,” “no cholesterol,” “trivial source of cholesterol,” “negligible source of cholesterol,” or “dietarily insignificant source of cholesterol” may be used on the label or in the labeling of foods, provided that: ( i ) For foods that contain 13 g or less of total fat per reference amount customarily consumed, per labeled serving, and per 50 g if the reference amount customarily consumed is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less (for dehydrated foods that must be reconstituted before typical consumption with water or a diluent containing an insignificant amount, as defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.9#p-101.9(f)(1)> § 101.9(f)(1) , of all nutrients per reference amount customarily consumed, the per 50-g criterion refers to the “as prepared” form), or, in the case of meal products, 26.0 g or less total fat per labeled serving, or, in the case of main dish products, 19.5 g or less total fat per labeled serving: ( A ) The food contains less than 2 mg of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeling serving or, in the case of a meal product or main dish product, less than 2 mg of cholesterol per labeled serving; and ( B ) The food contains no ingredient that is generally understood by consumers to contain cholesterol, unless the listing of the ingredient in the ingredient statement is followed by an asterisk that refers to the statement below the list of ingredients, which states “adds a trivial amount of cholesterol,” “adds a negligible amount of cholesterol,” or “adds a dietarily insignificant amount of cholesterol;” and ( C ) The food contains 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per reference amount customarily consumed or, in the case of a meal product or main dish product, 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per labeled serving; and ( D ) 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 contains less than 2 mg of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed or in the case of a meal product or main dish product, less than 2 mg of cholesterol per labeled serving without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to disclose that cholesterol is not usually present in the food (e.g., “applesauce, a cholesterol-free food”).

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-D/section-101.62

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/).