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The guidelines define minimum standards fruits and vegetables, or foods
containing fruits and vegetables, must meet in order to bear the 5 A Day
The Color Way logo as part of their food label or marketing efforts. The
logos may only be used by licensed participants in accordance
with the guidelines. Any misuse of the logo may result in revocation of the
license and possible legal action. Thus, it is important that all program
participants be familiar with the guidelines.
The Criteria
- All fresh fruits and vegetables with the exception
of coconuts and nuts. The program logo may be used to promote recipes
with coconut or nuts as ingredients if recipes meet the 5 A Day Recipe
Criteria.
- All fruits and vegetables processed by drying, freezing, or canning -including
those with added ingredients--(except dried herbs, coconut, and nuts), provided
that:
- no sugars, sugar-containing ingredients, or sugar alcohols (sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol, honey, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, or molasses) have been added and
- the fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium content per Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reference amount and per labeled serving must meet the FDA qualifying limits for “healthy” foods that are as follows:
- the total fat content is not more than 3 gm and
- the saturated fat content is not more than 1gm and not more than 15% of calories are from saturated fat and
- the cholesterol level is
 60mg and
- the sodium content is not more than 480mg
- the food is not processed to the extent that it no longer resembles a fruit
or vegetable, such as tofu, soy-based “hamburger” patties, popcorn, or powders.
- All meal products and main dish products that contain at least one 5 A Day serving of fruit or vegetable per FDA reference amount, provided that:
- no sugars, sugar-containing ingredients, or sugar alcohols (sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol, honey, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, or molasses) have been added and
- the fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium content per FDA reference amount and per labeled serving must meet the FDA qualifying limits for “healthy” foods that are as follows:
- the total fat content is not more than 3 gm per 100 gm and 30% of calories from fat and
- the saturated fat content is not more than 1 gm per 100 gm and < 10% of calories are from saturated fat and
- the cholesterol level is 90 mg and
- the sodium content is not more than 600 mg
- the ingredients that count toward the 5 A Day serving of fruit or vegetable
are not processed to the extent that it no longer resembles a fruit or vegetable,
such as tofu, soy-based “hamburger” patties, popcorn, or powders.
- All juice products that are 100% juice
or juice concentrate, without added fat or sugar, that meet the FDA “healthy food” qualifying
level for sodium, which is 480 mg/FDA reference amount (240 ml) (8ounces).
- All promotions of fruits and vegetables done in association with the program must retain the nutrient integrity of fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.
Questions and Answers
- What is the difference between an FDA reference amount (RA) and a per
labeled serving size?
The serving sizes that appear on food labels are based on FDA-established lists
of "Reference Amounts (RAs) Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion." The
RAs are based primarily on national food consumption surveys.
The per labeled serving sometimes varies from the RA. For example, the per labeled
serving size for foods that are packaged in discrete units (e.g. dried apricots)
is the number of whole units most closely approximating the RA (42g) which is
6. Another size discrepancy is seen for foods packaged and sold separately like
fruit juice. FDA regulations state that if an individual package is less than
200 percent of the applicable RA, the item qualifies as one serving. Thus, a
360-mL (12-fluid-ounce) container of juice is one serving, since the RA for
juice is 240 mL (8 ounces). However, if the product has an RA of 100 g or 100
mL or more and the package contains more than 150 percent but less than 200
percent of the RA, manufacturers have the option of deciding whether the product
can be one or two servings.
The new guidelines require that both serving sizes (per labeled serving and
RA) meet the criteria requirements.
- What is the serving size used to determine if a product qualifies (has
at least one serving of fruit or vegetables) for the 5 A Day Program?
Serving sizes used to determine if products have a serving of fruit or vegetables
are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They are as follows:
-
one medium piece of fruit
-
1/2 cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruit (100 percent juice only) or vegetables
-
1 cup of raw leafy greens
-
1/4 cup of dried fruit
-
6 ounces (3/4 cup) of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice
-
or 1/2 cup cooked dry peas or beans (e.g., lentils, pinto beans, kidney
beans)
FDA food labeling regulations for reference amounts and per labeled serving
size, as discussed in #1 above, stipulate serving sizes on labels that
may not be consistent with these guidelines (e.g. 1 serving of juice
is 1 cup
for a food label). They are not used to determine if a product contains
a serving of fruit or vegetable but they are used to establish qualifying
nutrient
content.
- What defines a Meal Product and a Main Dish Product?
A Meal Product is defined as a food that makes a major contribution
to a meal by:
-
Weighing at least 10 oz per labeled serving
-
Containing not less than three 40 g portions of food, or combination
of foods, from two or more of the following four food groups:
- Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
- Fruits and vegetables
- Milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts
It is also represented or is in a form commonly understood to be
a breakfast, lunch, dinner or a meal.
A Main Dish Product is defined as a food that makes a major contribution
to a meal by:
-
Weighing at least 6 oz per labeled serving
-
Containing not less than 40 g of food, or combination of foods, from each
of at least two of the following four food groups:
- Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
- Fruits and vegetables
- Milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts
It is also represented or is in a form commonly understood to be a main dish.
Despite different definitions, the program guidelines for both meal products
and main dish products are the same.
- Do olives qualify for the 5 A Day Program?
Yes, if they meet the products promotable criteria specified above for an
individual food.
- Can a product have any added sugar and still qualify?
To qualify, products must have no added sugars, sugar-containing ingredients,
or sugar alcohols.
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