Bone Broth Labels: Protein, Sodium, Collagen Claims and Grass-Fed Wording

A carton of bone broth can carry a lot of words: “bone broth”, “grass-fed”, “organic”, a protein number on the front, and sometimes talk of collagen. The Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient list on the back are where you can check them. This guide shows how to read a bone broth label line by line, using the one broth we carry, Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth (32 oz carton), as the worked example. The main habits: read protein and sodium per cup, do the carton math yourself, and check which ingredients a claim actually covers.

How we wrote this: the label details come from the Kettle & Fire Nutrition Facts image and the Kettle & Fire product page, viewed in October 2026. The rules come from FDA’s labeling regulations on eCFR: 21 CFR 101.9 (Nutrition Facts) and 21 CFR 101.61 (sodium claims). We describe what the label and the rules say. We have not tested this broth, the carton in your hand may differ by flavor or size, and this is not diet or medical advice.

Step 1: It is a food, so it has a Nutrition Facts panel

Bone broth is sold as a food, and the Kettle & Fire panel is headed Nutrition Facts, not Supplement Facts. That matters for two things later in this guide: how protein is shown, and why you will not find a collagen line. If you want a refresher on the format itself, our protein bar label guide walks through a Nutrition Facts panel on another food.

Step 2: The panel line by line

Here is the Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth panel as printed on the brand’s label image.

Line	Amount per 1 cup (240g)	% Daily Value
Servings per container	About 4
Calories	40
Total Fat	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	380mg	17%
Total Carbohydrate	0g	0%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Total Sugars	0g
Includes Added Sugars	0g	0%
Protein	10g	not shown
Vitamin D	0mcg	0%
Calcium	30mg	2%
Iron	0mg	0%
Potassium	100mg	2%

Two lines do most of the work on a broth label: protein and sodium. Nearly everything else on this panel is zero.

Step 3: Serving size and the carton math

The serving is 1 cup (240g), and the label says the 32 oz carton holds about 4 servings. Every number on the panel is per cup, not per carton. If you drink or cook with the whole carton, multiply:

• Protein: 10g per cup, so about 40g per carton, by our math from the label.
• Sodium: 380mg per cup, so about 1,520mg per carton, by our math from the label.

Because the label says “about” 4 servings, treat the carton totals as rough figures, not exact ones.

Step 4: Reading the protein line

The Kettle & Fire panel shows Protein 10g with no %DV next to it. That is normal on a food label. FDA’s rule for Nutrition Facts (21 CFR 101.9) says protein is listed in grams, to the nearest gram, and the protein %DV is optional unless the product makes a protein claim or is meant for children under 4. When a %DV is shown, the rule says it is based on a Daily Value of 50g and on protein corrected for quality with a score called PDCAAS.

For shopping, the useful comparison is simple: grams of protein per cup, side by side with other broths. Our guide to reading the protein line on a bar label covers the %DV side in more detail.

Step 5: Sodium, the line to watch

The label lists 380mg of sodium per cup, shown as 17% DV. The Daily Value for sodium is 2,300mg, and 380 divided by 2,300 is about 16.5%, which the label rounds to 17%.

Sodium claims on the front of a carton have set meanings under FDA’s rule, 21 CFR 101.61:

• Sodium free: less than 5mg per reference amount and per labeled serving.
• Very low sodium: 35mg or less per reference amount (for foods with a reference amount over 30g).
• Low sodium: 140mg or less per reference amount (for foods with a reference amount over 30g; meals and main dishes use 140mg per 100g instead).
• Reduced sodium, less sodium, lower sodium: at least 25% less sodium than an appropriate reference food, and the label must name that reference food and the percent difference next to the claim. The claim is not allowed if the reference food is already low sodium.

Kettle & Fire makes no sodium claim on this broth. By our comparison, at 380mg per cup on the label, it would not meet FDA’s 140mg “low sodium” level. If sodium is something you track, the carton figure, about 1,520mg by our math, is worth knowing before you use a whole carton in a soup.

One more detail: salt and sodium are not the same word on a label. FDA’s rule says “salt free” can be used only if the food is also sodium free, and “unsalted” and “no salt added” have their own conditions.

Step 6: The ingredient list

The Kettle & Fire product page lists the ingredients as: beef broth (water, grass-fed beef bones, onions*, carrots*, celery*, parsley*, apple cider vinegar*, sea salt, black pepper*, bay leaves*, thyme*, rosemary*), sea salt; *certified organic ingredient.

Three things to notice:

• Sea salt appears twice: once inside the broth and again added at the end. That is where the sodium comes from.
• No added flavors, sugars or thickeners are listed. This matches the 0g added sugars line on the panel.
• The asterisks matter. See the next step.

Step 7: “Organic” on part of the list

On the Kettle & Fire list, the asterisk marks the vegetables, herbs, spices and apple cider vinegar as certified organic. The water, beef bones and sea salt carry no asterisk, and the product as a whole is not labeled organic. So the accurate way to describe it is: a broth made with organic vegetables, herbs and vinegar, not an organic broth. When a carton says “organic” somewhere, check whether the word covers the whole product or only marked ingredients.

Step 8: “Grass-fed” and “grass-fed & finished”

The Kettle & Fire product page calls this “100% Grass-fed Beef Bone Broth” and lists grass-fed beef bones. One Kettle & Fire gallery image goes further and says “grass-fed & finished beef bones”. These are the brand’s own words. The page names no certifier and no origin for the bones.

USDA has run a voluntary grass-fed program for small and very small producers, built around grass and forage only, no grain, and pasture access in the growing season. Kettle & Fire does not name that program or any other grass-fed certification. Our guide to grass-fed protein explains what the term can and cannot tell you on a US label, with more examples.

Step 9: Collagen claims and the missing collagen line

Bone broth and collagen are often mentioned together, so it helps to know what the label can show. A Nutrition Facts panel has no collagen line, only Protein. The Kettle & Fire panel lists no collagen amount, and the brand’s product page copy makes no collagen claim (the only mention of collagen on that page is in a testimonial). So there is no collagen figure for this broth to compare, and we do not give one.

Compare that with a collagen supplement. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides carries a Supplement Facts panel that lists collagen peptides by weight, 20g per serving, next to 18g of protein. Our collagen peptides label guide explains how that panel works and why its protein line is shown the way it is. That reasoning belongs to the collagen supplement panel. It does not carry over to the broth, whose label gives no amino acid breakdown at all.

Step 10: Cautions and allergens

• The listed ingredients include beef and celery. Check the carton you buy for the brand’s own allergen statement.
• Sodium is the main number to watch, especially per carton.
• Storage and use-by instructions are on the carton; follow those rather than general advice.
• If you are on a sodium-restricted diet or have a medical condition, ask your doctor how broth fits in.

A quick bone broth label checklist

1. Panel type: Nutrition Facts (a food).
2. Serving size in cups and grams, and servings per carton.
3. Protein in grams per cup; multiply for the carton.
4. Sodium in mg per cup and %DV; multiply for the carton.
5. Any sodium claim: does it match FDA’s levels, and for “reduced”, is the reference food named?
6. Ingredient list: how many times salt appears, anything added beyond bones, water, vegetables and herbs.
7. “Organic”: the whole product, or only marked ingredients?
8. “Grass-fed”: the brand’s words, a named certifier, or both?
9. Collagen: is there a stated amount anywhere, or only general wording?

FAQ

How much protein is in a carton of Kettle & Fire beef bone broth?

The label lists 10g per 1 cup serving and about 4 servings per 32 oz carton, so about 40g per carton by our math from the label.

Is Kettle & Fire beef bone broth low sodium?

No. The label lists 380mg per cup. FDA’s “low sodium” level is 140mg or less per reference amount, and the brand makes no low sodium claim for this broth.

Is Kettle & Fire beef bone broth organic?

Not as a whole product. The ingredient list marks the vegetables, herbs, spices and apple cider vinegar as certified organic; the beef bones, water and sea salt are not marked.

How much collagen is in bone broth?

The label does not say. Nutrition Facts panels have no collagen line, and the Kettle & Fire panel and product copy give no collagen amount.

Why does the protein line have no %DV?

Under FDA’s Nutrition Facts rule, protein %DV is optional on most foods unless a protein claim is made or the food is for children under 4. Grams of protein are always listed.

Where to go next

See the product page for Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth, read what grass-fed wording means in our grass-fed protein guide, compare a collagen supplement panel in our collagen peptides label guide, read protein and sugar lines on another food in our protein bar label guide, or browse more broth and pantry picks in our healthy pantry staples guide.