# light-calories-individual-food — FDA nutrient content claim qualification criteria

For light-calories-individual-food, claim term is light; nutrient is calories; food format is individual food (not a meal or main dish product); threshold is The number of calories is reduced by at least one-third (33 1 ⁄ 3 percent) per reference amount customarily consumed compared to an appropriate reference food; cfr section is 21 CFR 101.56(b)(2)(i), recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

- **Claim ID:** light-calories-individual-food _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Claim term:** light _(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:** The number of calories is reduced by at least one-third (33 1 ⁄ 3 percent) per reference amount customarily consumed compared to an appropriate reference food _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR section:** 21 CFR 101.56(b)(2)(i) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Special conditions:** If the food derives less than 50 percent of its calories from fat _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> “Light” claims. The terms “light” or “lite” may be used on the label or in the labeling of foods, except meal products as defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(l)> § 101.13(l) and main dish products as defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(m)> § 101.13(m) , without further qualification, provided that: ( 1 ) If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from fat, its fat content is reduced by 50 percent or more per reference amount customarily consumed compared to an appropriate reference food as specified in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(j)(1)> § 101.13(j)(1) ; or ( 2 ) If the food derives less than 50 percent of its calories from fat: ( i ) The number of calories is reduced by at least one-third (33 1 ⁄ 3 percent) per reference amount customarily consumed compared to an appropriate reference food; or ( ii )

## Source

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

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/).