2027 KETO Certified Standards

Carbohydrate requirements

Per labeled serving, with serving sizes based on the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (FDA, 21 CFR 101.12; USDA FSIS, 9 CFR 317.312 and 381.412 for meat and poultry products): meals and meal replacements allow up to 10g net carbohydrates and snacks 6g. Qualifying whole-food or reduced-digestibility formulations may allow 12g and 8g respectively. Auxiliary products receive individual review.

Condiments (Section 2.0.3)

Condiments must not contain more than 2g net/effective carbohydrates per 0.5 oz (14.175 g) of serving weight, so a 29 g serving is limited to 4.09g. Products that qualify for the condiment allowance in Section 2.1 may contain 3g net carbohydrate per 0.5 oz.

Condiment allowance (Section 2.1)

Condiments are allowed an additional 1g per 0.5 oz for minimally processed, whole-food ingredients, reduced digestibility, or low-usage threshold for the product (such as hot sauce). The additional 1g applies once per 0.5 oz, so a qualifying condiment is limited to 3g net carbohydrates per 0.5 oz, scaled to its serving weight.

Determining condiment eligibility

Condiment eligibility is assessed on declared label values, taking into account the rounding range of each declared value used to calculate net carbohydrates. If a declared net carbohydrate value is within 0.5g of the applicable limit, or its rounding range includes the limit, eligibility must be confirmed by HPAEC-PAD, or an equivalent method, performed by an ISO accredited lab, and the lab result decides eligibility over label and formulation values. For example, a label value of 4g may represent up to 4.49g, which exceeds the 4.09g limit for a 29 g serving. The licensee must also provide a signed statement of unrounded net carbohydrates and serving weight for the current formulation. The Paleo Foundation may verify any result under Section 1.3.2. A failing result may be confirmed by one retest from a different production lot.

Prebiotic fiber requires appropriate net-carbohydrate adjustment. Analytical verification may use HPAEC-PAD. Exogenous ketones are permitted. Partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and specified artificial sweeteners are prohibited; permitted ingredients must still satisfy carbohydrate criteria.

The mark requires an audit, contractual agreement, and explicit authorization for each certified product. Read the document for the full ingredient and label-use provisions, and contact the certification team about your formulation.