Last verified 17 Sep 2026 · Sources
Your product can say “saturated fat free” only if it contains less than 0.5 gram of saturated fat and less than 0.5 gram of trans fatty acid per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) and per labeled serving; for a meal or main dish product, both numbers apply per labeled serving alone (21 CFR 101.62(c)(1)(i)). There’s no reference food involved; it’s a flat, absolute threshold, checked on two bases only (per RACC and per labeled serving, no per-50-g version). The trap you’re most likely to hit is treating trans fat as an afterthought: the claim fails the moment trans fat hits 0.5 g, even if saturated fat itself is at zero.
| Quick facts | Saturated fat free |
|---|---|
| Regulation | 21 CFR 101.62(c)(1) |
| Threshold | <0.5 g saturated fat AND <0.5 g trans fat per RACC and per labeled serving |
| Claim type | absolute |
| Reference food needed | No |
| Disclosure statement | Yes, if fat >13 g, sat fat >4 g, cholesterol >60 mg or sodium >480 mg per RACC, per labeled serving, or per 50 g for small RACCs (21 CFR 101.13(h)(1)) |
| Wordings FDA allows | Free of saturated fat, No saturated fat, Zero saturated fat, Without saturated fat, Trivial/negligible source of saturated fat |
What the rule says
21 CFR 101.62(c)(1)(i), read on eCFR, states: “The food contains less than 0.5 g of saturated fat and less than 0.5 g trans fatty acid per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving, or in the case of a meal product or main dish product, less than 0.5 g of saturated fat and less than 0.5 g trans fatty acid per labeled serving.” Allowed synonyms under the same claim include “free of saturated fat,” “no saturated fat,” “zero saturated fat,” “without saturated fat,” and “trivial” or “negligible source of saturated fat.”
There is no equivalent defined claim for trans fat alone. FDA has never issued a “trans fat free” threshold in 101.62 or elsewhere in subpart D. What a label can do instead is state the factual amount (“0 g Trans Fat” as it appears on the Nutrition Facts panel) under 21 CFR 101.13(i)(3), which permits “a statement about the amount or percentage of a nutrient” when “the statement does not in any way implicitly characterize the level of the nutrient in the food and it is not false or misleading in any respect… in which case no disclaimer is required” (e.g., “100 calories” or “5 grams of fat” are the rule’s own examples of this kind of plain factual statement). The word “free” implies a level characterization that only exists, by regulation, for saturated fat, so “trans fat free” as a headline claim isn’t a defined wording FDA has authorized.
If your product is inherently saturated-fat- and trans-fat-free without reformulation (a tomato-based salsa with no added oil, for instance), 21 CFR 101.13(e)(2) requires the wording to make clear that the whole food category is this way naturally, not that your process achieved something unique: the rule’s own parallel example is “corn oil, a sodium-free food.”
The numbers
Both bases, per RACC and per labeled serving, must clear 0.5 g independently for both saturated fat and trans fat; there is no 50 g small-package test for this claim (nor for “low saturated fat”), unlike “low fat” and “low sodium.” Rounding matters at this threshold: under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(2), fat-family values below 0.5 g round down to “0 g” on the panel, so a printed zero is consistent with the claim but isn’t itself proof. The claim is judged against the unrounded lab or database figure, not the rounded panel number.
If total fat in the product exceeds 13 g, saturated fat exceeds 4 g, cholesterol exceeds 60 mg, or sodium exceeds 480 mg per RACC, per labeled serving, or per 50 g (for RACCs of 30 g or 2 tablespoons or less), the label must carry the disclosure statement required by 21 CFR 101.13(h)(1), a separate, general condition that applies to any nutrient content claim on the label, not just this one.
On the label
Take a jarred tomato salsa: an analyzed panel typically shows 0 g total fat, so both saturated fat and trans fat are comfortably under 0.5 g per RACC (2 tablespoons under 21 CFR 101.12) and per labeled serving. Because the recipe was never reformulated to hit this number (salsa is simply not a fat-bearing food), the label should read “Saturated Fat Free” with wording that reflects the category, not brand-specific processing, per 101.13(e)(2). See a full build for this category at /product-labels/salsa/.
Mistakes we see
- Clearing saturated fat but ignoring trans fat. The claim requires both numbers under 0.5 g; a product with 0 g saturated fat but 0.6 g partially hydrogenated-oil trans fat still fails.
- Printing “trans fat free” as if it were a defined claim. It isn’t. Use the factual “0 g Trans Fat” statement from the panel under 101.13(i)(3) instead of a “free” wording FDA hasn’t defined.
- Applying the per-50-g small-package test. That variant doesn’t exist for saturated fat free, only for “low” claims that name it explicitly.
- Making the claim on a label that relied on a “no nutrition claims” exemption. Small-package and low-volume exemptions under 21 CFR 101.9(j), including (j)(13)(i) and (j)(18), require no nutrient content claims; adding this one voids the exemption.
- Skipping the “naturally” wording on an unprocessed product. Implying your brand achieved something every product in the category already has is a 101.13(e)(2) issue, not just a style choice.
Related claims
See /claims/low-saturated-fat/ for the ≤1 g threshold, /claims/cholesterol-free/ and /claims/fat-free/ for the related fat-family claims, /claims/low-fat/, plus the general rules at /labeling-rules/nutrient-content-claims/ and /labeling-rules/rounding-rules/.
Check your label
The NutriLabels builder’s claims check runs your product’s saturated fat and trans fat numbers against this threshold on every basis the rule names (per RACC and per labeled serving) and tells you exactly which wording your product qualifies for.
Checking trans fat alongside saturated fat before you print keeps your “Saturated Fat Free” claim true on both counts. Enter your recipe, then see your label: your calories, the claims you qualify for and your allergen line are free, no card required, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, the claims check, every FDA format your product qualifies for, and the ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print. Start your label or browse all nutrient content claims.
Saturated fat free claim FAQ
Is 'saturated fat free' the same as 'trans fat free'?
No, and there's no such thing as a defined 'trans fat free' claim. 21 CFR 101.62(c)(1) defines saturated fat free, but FDA has never issued a parallel definition for trans fat on its own. A trans fat number can only appear as a factual statement of amount under 21 CFR 101.13(i)(3), not as a 'free' claim.
Can my saturated-fat-free product still show a nonzero trans fat number on the panel?
Not if you want the claim. The same paragraph, 101.62(c)(1)(i), requires less than 0.5 g of both saturated fat and trans fat per RACC and per labeled serving. Trans fat isn't a side issue here; it's a co-condition of the claim.
Does a naturally saturated-fat-free product like salsa need special wording?
Yes. Under 21 CFR 101.13(e)(2), a claim on a food that hasn't been reformulated to hit the threshold has to make clear the whole category is inherently that way, not that your brand removed something.
Is there a per-50-g version of saturated fat free for small packages?
No. Saturated fat free, like fat free, is assessed only per RACC and per labeled serving, with no 50 g variant. 'Low saturated fat' has no 50 g test either (see /claims/low-saturated-fat/); the 50 g test belongs to claims like 'low fat' and 'low sodium.'
Does saying 'saturated fat free' trigger a Nutrition Facts requirement even on a small package?
Yes. Any nutrient content claim, including this one, takes a label out of the small-package and low-volume exemptions in 21 CFR 101.9(j) that require no nutrition claims to appear.
Related claims
Low saturated fat / Reduced saturated fat, Cholesterol free, Fat free, Low fat. See the full all label claims.