low-cholesterol-meal

For low-cholesterol-meal, claim term is low cholesterol; nutrient is cholesterol; food format is meal; threshold is shall be limited to 20 mg of cholesterol per 100 g; cfr section is 21 CFR 101.62(d)(3), recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.

What the source says

The terms “low in cholesterol,” “low cholesterol,” “contains a small amount of cholesterol,” “low source of cholesterol,” or “little cholesterol” 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) , provided that: ( i ) For foods that have a reference amount customarily consumed greater than 30 g or greater than 2 tablespoons and contain 13 g or less of total fat per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving: ( A ) The food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed; ( B ) The food contains 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per reference amount customarily consumed; and ( C ) 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 these conditions without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to clearly refer to all foods of that type and not merely to the particular brand to which the label attaches (e.g., “low fat cottage cheese, a low cholesterol food.”). ( ii ) For foods that have a reference amount customarily consumed of 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less and contain 13 g or less of total fat per reference amount customarily consumed, per labeled serving, and per 50 g (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); ( A ) The food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed and per 50 g (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); ( B ) The food contains 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per reference amount customarily consumed; and ( C ) 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 these conditions without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to clearly refer to all foods of that type and not merely to the particular brand to which the label attaches (e.g., “low fat cottage cheese, a low cholesterol food”). ( iii ) For foods that have a reference amount customarily consumed greater than 30 g or greater than 2 tablespoons and contain more than 13 g of total fat per reference amount customarily consumed or per labeled serving, ( A ) The food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed; ( B ) The food contains 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per reference amount customarily consumed; ( C ) The label or labeling discloses the level of total fat in a serving (as declared on the label) of the food. Such disclosure shall appear in immediate proximity to such claim preceding any disclosure statement required under <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(h)> § 101.13(h) in type that shall be no less than one-half the size of the type used for such claim. If the claim appears on more than one panel, the disclosure shall be made on each panel except for the panel that bears nutrition labeling. If the claim is made more than once on a panel, the disclosure shall be made in immediate proximity to the claim that is printed in the largest type; 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 meets these conditions without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to clearly refer to all foods of that type and not merely to the particular brand to which the label attaches; or ( E ) If the food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol only as a result of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation, the amount of cholesterol is substantially less (i.e., meets requirements of <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(4)(ii)(A)> paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(A) of this section) than the food for which it substitutes as specified in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(d)> § 101.13(d) that has a significant (e.g., 5 percent or more of a national or regional market) market share. As required in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(j)(2)> § 101.13(j)(2) for relative claims: ( 1 ) The identity of the reference food and the percent (or fraction) that the cholesterol has been reduced are declared in immediate proximity to the most prominent such claim (e.g., “low-cholesterol peanut butter sandwich crackers, contains 83 percent less cholesterol than our regular peanut butter sandwich crackers”); and ( 2 ) Quantitative information comparing the level of cholesterol in the product per labeled serving with that of the reference food that it replaces (e.g., “Cholesterol lowered from 30 mg to 5 mg per serving; contains 13 g of fat per serving.”) is declared adjacent to the most prominent claim or to the nutrition label, except that if the nutrition label is on the information panel, the quantitative information may be located elsewhere on the information panel in accordance with <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.2> § 101.2 . ( iv ) For foods that have a reference amount customarily consumed of 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less and contain more than 13 g of total fat per reference amount customarily consumed, per labeled serving, or per 50 g (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), ( A ) The food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed and per 50 g (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), ( B ) The food contains 2 g or less of saturated fatty acids per reference amount customarily consumed; ( C ) The label or labeling discloses the level of total fat in a serving (as declared on the label) of the food. Such disclosure shall appear in immediate proximity to such claim preceding any disclosure statement required under <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(h)> § 101.13(h) in type that shall be no less than one-half the size of the type used for such claim. If the claim appears on more than one panel, the disclosure shall be made on each panel except for the panel that bears nutrition labeling. If the claim is made more than once on a panel, the disclosure shall be made in immediate proximity to the claim that is printed in the largest type; 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 meets these conditions without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to clearly refer to all foods of that type and not merely to the particular brand to which the label attaches; or ( E ) If the food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol only as a result of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation, the amount of cholesterol is substantially less (i.e., meets requirements of <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(4)(ii)(A)> paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(A) of this section) than the food for which it substitutes as specified in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(d)> § 101.13(d) that has a significant (i.e., 5 percent or more of a national or regional market) market share. As required in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(j)(2)> § 101.13(j)(2) for relative claims: ( 1 ) The identity of the reference food and the percent (or fraction) that the cholesterol has been reduced are declared in immediate proximity to the most prominent such claim (e.g., “low-cholesterol peanut butter sandwich crackers, contains 83 percent less cholesterol than our regular peanut butter sandwich crackers”); and ( 2 ) Quantitative information comparing the level of cholesterol in the product per labeled serving with that of the reference food that it replaces (e.g., “Cholesterol lowered from 30 mg to 5 mg per serving; contains 13 g of fat per serving.”) is declared adjacent to the most prominent claim or to the nutrition label, except that if the nutrition label is on the information panel, the quantitative information may be located elsewhere on the information panel in accordance with <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.2> § 101.2 . ( 3 ) The terms defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)> paragraph (d)(2) of this section may be used on the label and in labeling of meal products as defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(l)> § 101.13(l) or a main dish product as defined in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.13#p-101.13(m)> § 101.13(m) provided that the product meets the requirements of <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)> paragraph (d)(2) of this section except that the determination as to whether <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(i)> paragraph (d)(2)(i) or <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(iii)> (d)(2)(iii) of this section applies to the product will be made only on the basis of whether the meal product contains 26 g or less of total fat per labeled serving or the main dish product contain 19.5 g or less of total fat per labeled serving, the requirement in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(i)(A)> paragraphs (d)(2)(i)(A) and <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(iii)(A)> (d)(2)(iii)(A) of this section shall be limited to 20 mg of cholesterol per 100 g, and the requirement in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(i)(B)> paragraphs (d)(2)(i)(B) and <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-101.62#p-101.62(d)(2)(iii)(B)> (d)(2)(iii)(B) of this section shall be modified to require that the food contain 2 g or less of saturated fat per 100 g rather than per reference amount customarily consumed.

— ecfr.gov, retrieved 2026-08-17

Source

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

Last verified against source: 2026-08-17. Due for re-check by 2027-08-17. This page as Markdown · OKF bundle · full dataset as JSON.