Last verified 17 Sep 2026 · Sources
“Good source of,” “contains,” and “provides” mean the same thing under FDA rules: the food supplies 10 to 19 percent of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) or Daily Reference Value (DRV) per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC), the basis is per RACC only (not per labeled serving), and the claim only exists for nutrients that have an RDI or DRV in the first place, meaning fiber, protein, potassium, and the vitamins and minerals on the 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv) table (21 CFR 101.54(c)(1)). The trap you’re most likely to hit: checking the percent on your Nutrition Facts panel, which is rounded per 101.9(c), when the claim itself is decided on the unrounded, as-analyzed number. If your product sits right at 9.6%, it can round to “10%” on the label and still fail the claim.
| Quick facts | Good source of [nutrient] |
|---|---|
| Regulation | 21 CFR 101.54(c) |
| Threshold | 10–19% of the RDI or DRV per RACC (fiber, protein, potassium, vitamins, minerals only) |
| Claim type | absolute |
| Reference food needed | No |
| Disclosure statement | Yes. Fiber claims need the low-fat fat disclosure (101.54(d)) unless the food is already low fat; any claim on a food over 13 g fat, 4 g sat fat, 60 mg cholesterol or 480 mg sodium per RACC needs the 101.13(h) disclosure statement |
| Wordings FDA allows | Good source of, Contains, Provides |
What the rule says
21 CFR 101.54(c)(1) states: “The terms ‘good source,’ ‘contains,’ or ‘provides’ may be used on the label and in the labeling of foods… provided that the food contains 10 to 19 percent of the RDI or the DRV per reference amount customarily consumed” (21 CFR 101.54). Any of the three words is interchangeable: “Good source of fiber,” “Contains 15% DV fiber,” and “Provides fiber” are the same legal claim.
Meal and main dish products get their own version at 101.54(c)(2): the product qualifies if it “contains a food that meets the definition of ‘good source’” and the label “clearly identifies the food that is the subject of the claim”, so a frozen bowl can say “good source of fiber from our whole-grain rice,” pointing at the qualifying component rather than the dish as a whole (21 CFR 101.54).
Two nutrients carry extra conditions layered onto the same 10–19% test:
- Fiber. If you claim any level of dietary fiber content and the food is not “low fat” under 101.62(b)(2), 101.54(d)(1) requires the label to disclose the total fat per labeled serving right next to the claim (21 CFR 101.54).
- Protein. 101.9(c)(7) requires protein content claims to use the corrected amount, the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), not the crude protein figure a standard recipe calculation produces. Without a PDCAAS value for your specific formulation, “good source of protein” can’t be substantiated from ingredient data alone (21 CFR 101.9).
The numbers
| Claim | Threshold | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Good source / Contains / Provides | 10–19% of RDI or DRV | Per RACC |
| High / Rich in / Excellent source of | 20%+ of RDI or DRV | Per RACC (see high-excellent-source) |
There’s no small-RACC per-50-g test for source claims. That mechanism belongs to the “low” and “free” calorie/fat/sodium/cholesterol claims under 101.60–101.62, not to 101.54. Source claims run on the RACC percentage alone.
Rounding interplay: 101.9(c) governs what prints on the panel: %DV for vitamins and minerals rounds to the nearest 2% up through 10%, then nearest 5% up to 50%. That rounded number is for display; claim eligibility runs on the food’s actual composition, so build in a margin rather than banking on a favorable rounding.
On the label
A granola bar with a RACC of 40 g (21 CFR 101.12) contains 3 g of dietary fiber. The DRV for fiber is 28 g, so 3 ÷ 28 = 10.7%, inside the 10–19% band, so “Good source of fiber” is available. Because the bar isn’t low fat (nuts or oil push it well above 3 g fat per RACC), 101.54(d)(1) requires a fat disclosure alongside the claim: “contains 6 g of total fat per serving. See nutrition information for fat content.” The /product-labels/granola-bars/ panel and the disclosure come from the same recipe analysis.
Mistakes we see
- Claiming “good source of protein” from a recipe rollup. Crude protein isn’t the legal basis; PDCAAS is, and NutriLabels won’t compute a protein content claim without a digestibility value, because 101.9(c)(7) doesn’t allow it (21 CFR 101.9).
- Skipping the fiber fat disclosure. A fiber claim on a food that isn’t low fat needs the 101.54(d) fat statement in immediate proximity to the claim. Leaving it off doesn’t fail the fiber math, it fails the claim’s format.
- Adding the claim to a package that was using a labeling exemption. 101.9(j)(4) and 101.9(j)(13)’s reduced-format and exempt-panel options all require the label to carry no nutrition claims; “good source of” voids that, and a full panel becomes mandatory.
- Reading the claim off the rounded %DV on the panel. The panel is rounded per 101.9(c); the claim threshold is checked against the unrounded, as-analyzed value.
- Using a source claim for a nutrient without an RDI or DRV. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, don’t have an assigned RDI or DRV, so a “good source of omega-3s” claim isn’t a 101.54(c) claim at all and needs separate substantiation. A “good source” claim is only available for nutrients with an RDI or DRV.
Related claims
See High / Excellent source of for the 20%-or-more version of this same test, More / Fortified for comparing your product’s nutrient level to a reference food instead of a flat percentage, and Healthy for the separate implied claim with its own criteria. Background on the general claim rules lives at /labeling-rules/nutrient-content-claims/ and on rounding at /labeling-rules/rounding-rules/.
Check your label
Build your label in the NutriLabels wizard and the claims check runs your product’s actual recipe numbers against every RDI and DRV percentage on this page, per RACC, and tells you exactly which source claims, and which exact wordings, your product qualifies for.
A “good source of fiber” line that holds up on the unrounded number gives a buyer a clear reason to pick your product. Enter your recipe, then see your label: the calorie count, the nutrient content claims you qualify for and your allergen line show free, no card required, while every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, and the ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print. Start your label or see how the high / excellent source claim compares.
Good source of [nutrient] claim FAQ
Does "good source of protein" work the same way as "good source of fiber"?
No. Fiber, potassium, vitamins and minerals are checked against your recipe's analyzed amount. Protein claims are different: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7) requires the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), not the crude protein number a recipe rollup produces, so the claim can't be computed from ingredient data alone (21 CFR 101.9).
Can I say "good source of" a nutrient that doesn't have an RDI or DRV, like omega-3s?
21 CFR 101.54(c) defines the claim as a percentage of the RDI or the DRV, so it only applies to nutrients FDA has assigned one of those values to (vitamins and minerals get an RDI; protein, fiber, and potassium get a DRV) (21 CFR 101.54).
What percentage makes a claim "high" instead of "good source"?
20% or more of the RDI or DRV per RACC is \"high,\" \"rich in,\" or \"excellent source of\" under 21 CFR 101.54(b). 10–19% is \"good source.\" Under 10% is neither claim (21 CFR 101.54).
Does a good source claim need a reference food?
No. Good source is an absolute claim measured against a fixed percentage of the RDI or DRV, not against another product, so 21 CFR 101.13(j)'s reference-food and comparative-statement requirements don't apply (21 CFR 101.13).
Does making this claim affect my small-package exemption?
Yes. 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13) and 101.9(j)(4)'s reduced-labeling and exemption options are all conditioned on the label bearing no nutrition claims. A \"good source of fiber\" statement is a nutrition claim, so it triggers a full Nutrition Facts panel even on packaging that would otherwise qualify for an exemption (21 CFR 101.9).
Related claims
High in / Rich in / Excellent source of [nutrient], More / Added / Extra / Fortified / Enriched [nutrient], Healthy, Low fat. See the full all label claims.