National 5 A Day Program
Products Promotable Criteria
Revised 9/2003
Products promotable through the 5 A Day Program refers to fruits and vegetables or foods containing fruits and vegetables that are allowed to bear the official 5 A Day logo as part of their food label or marketing efforts. In exchange for the credibility of the National Cancer Institute, it is essential that all licensed participants in the 5 A Day Program use the official 5 A Day logo in accordance with these criteria. Any misuse in the logo may result in revocation of the license and possible legal action. Thus, it is important that all program participants be familiar with these criteria.
- All fresh fruits and vegetables, excluding coconuts and nuts.
- All fruits and vegetables (except dried herbs, coconut and nuts) processed by drying, freezing, or canning--including those with added ingredients--provided that:
- no sugars, sugar-containing ingredients, or sugar alcohols (e.g., sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol, honey, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, or molasses) have been added
- 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:
-
fat: < 3 gm
saturated fat: < 1 gm and < 15% of calories from saturated fat
cholesterol: < 60 mg
sodium: < 480 mg - 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 or 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 (e.g., sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol, honey, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, or molasses) have been added
- 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:
-
fat: < 3 gm per 100 gm and < 30% of calories from fat
saturated fat: < 1 gm per 100 gm and < 10% of calories from saturated fat
cholesterol: < 90 mg per serving size
sodium: < 600 mg - the ingredients that count toward the 5 A Day serving of fruit or vegetable are not processed to the extent that they no longer resemble 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 labeled serving size (8 oz) and FDA reference amount (240 ml).
