To understand sodium labels, learn salty language

By Hklbrries

Ingredients

• Use this glossary to decode sodium-related claims, which are regulated by the federal government.
• Sodium free (or zero sodium, no sodium, without sodium, free of sodium, trivial source of sodium): Fewer than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.
• Very low in sodium: No more than 35 mg per serving.
• Low in sodium: No more than 140 mg per serving.
• Light in sodium: At least 50 percent less sodium per serving than a full-sodium version.
• Reduced sodium (or lower sodium, less sodium): At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than a full-sodium version of the same food.
• Unsalted (or no salt added, without added salt): No salt was added during processing. If the food is not sodium-free, the label must say, "Not a sodium-free food."
• Healthy: For an individual food, no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving. For a meal (think frozen dinner), no more than 600 mg.

Details

Adapted from consumerreports.org

Preparation

Step 1

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