What “no salt added” means on a food label

The term “salt” is not synonymous with “sodium.” Salt refers to sodium chloride. However, references to salt content such as “unsalted,” “no salt,” “no salt added” are potentially misleading.

The terms “unsalted,” “without added salt,” and “no salt added” may be used on the label or in labeling of foods only if:

No salt is added during processing;

The food that it resembles and for which it substitutes is normally processed with salt; and

If the food is not sodium free, the statement, “not a sodium free food” or “not for control of sodium in the diet” appears adjacent to the nutrition label of the food bearing the claim, or, if the nutrition label is on the information panel, it may appear elsewhere on the information panel in accordance with § 101.2.