FOOD RELATED TERMS

Aseptic Packaging: a process in which a food product and its packaging material, typically plastic bags inside a carton or box, are sterilized separately, then combined and sealed in a vacuum to remove all oxygen. The resulting products, including juice, milk or tomatoes, will remain stable for years without refrigeration.

Canning: A method of preserving food by hermetically sealing it in glass or metal containers. The use of special canning jars and lids is essential for successful canning. The canning process involves quickly heating jars or cans of food to high temperatures, thereby retaining maximum color, flavor and nutrients while destroying the microorganisms that cause spoilage. During processing, the food reaches temperatures of 212°F (with the boiling-water-bath method) to 240°F (using a pressure canner). Any air in the container is forced out between the jar and lid. A vacuum is created as the food cools and contracts, sucking the lid tightly to the jar. This airtight seal is vital to prevent invasion by microorganisms.

Concentrate: A product that has been concentrated, especially a food that has been reduced in volume or bulk by the removal of liquid.

Dehydration: One of the oldest methods of food processing, dehydration allows foods ranging from fruits and vegetables to meats and even milk and eggs to be preserved indefinitely by extracting the moisture they contain, inhibiting microbial growth.

Expiration Date: See Open Dating

Extracts: Concentrated flavorings derived from various foods or plants, usually through evaporation or distillation. Extracts can come in several forms including solid (as in a bouillon cube), liquid (such as vanilla extract) or jellylike (as with a demi-glace). They deliver a powerful flavor impact to foods without adding excess volume or changing the consistency. Liquid extracts will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dark place.

Fresh:  Food that has not been preserved by canning, dehydration, freezing or smoking.

Frozen: Food that has been preserved through freezing. Frozen food will keep indefinitely at a temperature of 0 degrees F, although flavor and quality will deteriorate over time.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein: Protein obtained from various foods (like soybeans, corn or wheat), then broken down into amino acids by a chemical process called acid hydrolysis. Hydrolyzed plant or vegetable protein is used as a flavor enhancer in numerous processed foods like soups, chilis, sauces, stews and some meat products like frankfurters.

Label Terms: Federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act regulations require that specific information appear on processed food labels and implement improvements in four basic areas:

1. package claims (which are now federally defined and regulated)

2. serving sizes, which must be comparable for similar foods

3. referring to the % Daily Value  column quickly tells the consumer the percentage of a particular nutrient in the food

4. by consulting the Daily Values, consumers can determine how much (or how little) of the major nutrients they should eat on a daily basis.

Open Dating: A system required by the Food and Drug Administration whereby food products are dated as an indicator to shelf life and perishability. Most perishables are stamped with a pull (or sell ) date by which the retailer should remove the product if not sold. A freshness date may be found on highly perishable products (like baked goods), stipulating the date when a product will no longer seem fresh. Some products bear a pack date, indicating when it was packaged. An expiration date may be found on some longer-lived products and tells the consumer when the manufacturer anticipates the product will no longer likely be useable.

Snack Food: A packaged food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day, consumed to assuage the eater’s hunger between meals, or purely for enjoyment.

FOOD LABEL TERMS

Cholesterol Free means the product (per serving) contains less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams (or less) of saturated fat

Enriched products are those that have lost nutrients during processing, then had them approximately replaced by enrichment. White flour, for example, loses 50 to 80 percent of many nutrients during processing, but then has some of them replaced.

Fat Free indicates the product has less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving, providing there are no added fat or oil ingredients

Fortified on a label (as with a breakfast cereal) tells you that nutrients have been added that weren't in the original ingredients

Light (or Lite) is a virtually meaningless term used in a variety of ways by individual manufacturers According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the only parameter for this term is that it must contain "less of something," which means that it can refer to reduced calories, a lighter color or flavor (as with some oils), a fluffy (lighter) texture, or reduced fat, sugar, alcohol, etc. 

Low Calorie indicates 40 calories or less per serving, and less than 0.4 calories per gram of food

Low in Cholesterol means the cholesterol per serving (or per 100 grams of food) is 20 milligrams or less, and that the saturated fat is 2 grams or less

Low Fat means the amount of fat per serving (or per 100 grams of food) is 3 grams or less; the phrase "90 (or other number ) percent fat free" may only be used for low fat products

Low in Saturated Fat means each serving contains 1 gram (or less) of saturated fat, and the number of calories from that source are not more than 15 percent of the total

Low Sodium means 140 milligrams or less per serving; very low sodium — 35 milligrams sodium per serving

Natural Flavorings refer to those that are "derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, egg, dairy product . . . whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional." Be aware, however, that those broad parameters include ingredients like hydrolyzed protein and HVP, both of which contain MSG. The FDA has no set definition for the word natural. However, although there's no true consistency among manufacturers, the term generally means that the product has no artificial ingredients or intentional  additives (although many "natural" foods are full of sugar, fat and preservatives). When the word "natural" is applied to meat or poultry, it generally means the product is minimally processed and free of artificial ingredients.

No Sugar Added means there's no table sugar, but there may be other forms of sugar such as corn syrup, fructose, glucose, maltose or sucrose

Organic is another term that is often used without qualification, although in some states it refers to the fact that crops are pesticide free and that animal feed and water is sans chemicals

RDA stands for "Recommended Dietary Allowance," the government-recommended daily amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals for healthy adults. Such amounts are ballpark figures and may vary slightly according to gender, conditions such as pregnancy, etc.

Reduced Calorie on a label means there are at least one-third fewer calories than in the product's regular form

Reduced Cholesterol tells you the product contains 50 percent (or less) of the cholesterol found in the product's regular version

Reduced Fat means the product contains 50 percent (or less) of the fat found in the product's regular version

Reduced Saturated Fat is the same, but only in reference to saturated fat

Reduced Sodium signals at least 75 percent less sodium

Sodium Free mean there is less than 5 milligrams per serving