Nutrition standards for the charitable food system: challenges and opportunities

BMC Public Health

Table 1 Healthy eating research nutrition standards^c

Food Category	Choose Often			Choose Sometimes			Choose Rarely
Food Category	Saturated Fat	Sodium	Added Sugars	Saturated Fat	Sodium	Added Sugars^a	Saturated Fat	Sodium	Added Sugars
Fruits and Vegetables	≤ 2 g	≤230 mg	0 g	100% juice and plain dried fruit			≥2.5 g^b	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Fruits and Vegetables	≤ 2 g	≤230 mg	0 g	≥2.5 g^b	231–479 mg	1–11 g	≥2.5 g^b	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Grains	First ingredient must be whole grain AND meet following thresholds:			≥2.5 g^b	231–479 mg	7–11 g	≥2.5 g^b	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Grains	≤ 2 g	≤ 230 mg	≤ 6 g	≥2.5 g^b	231–479 mg	7–11 g	≥2.5 g^b	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Protein	≤ 2 g	≤ 230 mg	≤ 6 g	2.5–4.5 g	231–479 mg	7–11 g	≥5 g	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Dairy	≤ 3 g	≤ 230 mg	0 g	3.5–6 g	231–479 mg	1–11 g	≥6.5 g	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Non-Dairy Alternatives	≤ 2 g	≤ 230 mg	≤ 6 g	≥2.5 g	231–479 mg	7–11 g	≥2.5 g	≥480 mg	≥12 g
Beverages	0 g	0 mg	0 g	0 g	1–140 mg	1–11 g	≥1 g	≥141 mg	≥12 g
Mixed Dishes	≤ 3 g	≤ 480 mg	≤ 6 g	3.5–6 g	481–599 mg	7–11 g	≥6.5 g	≥600 mg	≥12 g
Processed and Packaged Snacks	None			If a grain is the first ingredient, it must be a whole grain AND meet following thresholds:			≥2.5 g	≥141 mg	≥7 g
Processed and Packaged Snacks	None			0-2 g	0–140 mg	0–6 g	≥2.5 g	≥141 mg	≥7 g
Desserts	None			None			All desserts
Condiments & Cooking Staples	Not ranked
Miscellaneous Products	Not ranked

^aUse the added sugars value when available on the Nutrition Facts label. If it is not available, use the total sugar value. The thresholds are the same for all categories except fruits and vegetables and dairy. For both fruits and vegetables and dairy, total sugar thresholds are ≤12 g for the Choose Often tier, 13–23 g for the Choose Sometimes tier, and ≥ 24 g for the Choose Rarely tier
^bThe threshold for saturated fat is the same for the choose sometimes and choose rarely categories. All saturated fat values ≥2.5 g should be ranked as choose sometimes. The overall ranking is based on the lowest tier of any nutrient. Thus, a grain with 3 g of saturated fat (choose sometimes), 300 mg of sodium (choose sometimes), and 13 g of added sugar (choose rarely) would fall into the choose rarely tier, while a grain with 3 g of saturated fat (choose sometimes), 300 mg of sodium (choose sometimes), and 10 g of added sugar (choose sometimes) would fall into the choose sometimes tier
^cThresholds based on serving size of the United States Nutrition Facts label

ISSN: 1471-2458