Any product sold for a special dietary use must contain full nutritional labeling and use the appropriate U.S. RDA. Six prohibitions apply to the labeling of products. No claim can be made (1) that the product in itself prevents, treats, or cures disease; (2) that a diet of ordinary foods cannot furnish adequate nutrients; (3) that inadequate diet is due to the soil on which the foods are grown; (4) that transportation, storage, or cooking of foods may result in an inadequate diet; (5) that nonnutritive ingredients such as inositol, paraminobenzoic acid, or bioflavinoids have nutritional value; and (6) that a natural vitamin is superior to a synthetic vitamin.

Cholesterol and fat

Any product that is labeled for cholesterol must state the amount of cholesterol in milligrams per serving and per 100 grains of food. The fatty acid content of food may be stated if the total fat content is more than 2 gm per serving. It should include the grams of total fat, grams of fat from saturated fatty acids, grams of fat from polyunsaturated fatty acids, and per cent of calories from fat. When information on cholesterol and fatty acids is included in labeling, the following statement must also appear on the label: “Information on fat (and/or cholesterol) content is provided for individuals who, on the advice of a physician, are modifying their total dietary intake of fat (and/or cholesterol).”

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