How to Decode Food Labels

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Don’t Be Fooled by Misleading Labels!

July 8, 2024

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All natural! High-fiber! Multigrain! Only 2 grams of fat per serving! Contains real fruit! Do you know what food labels really mean? Here’s a handy guide to decoding food labels.

Food marketers have taken full advantage of Americans’ growing interest in the connection between good nutrition and good health. To make food seem healthy, they pile on words chosen for their emotional appeal.

But some of the most common food descriptors don’t carry any real meaning. Others falsely imply health benefits, or intentionally mislead consumers into believing that a product is a healthy (or healthier) choice. Here are a few of the most common:

Unlike fiber-rich, whole, unprocessed grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes, many processed food products (including candy bars) contain added “functional fibers,” some of which are synthetic and others of which are extracted from foods. So far, there’s been no proof these added fibers offer the same health benefits as the fiber you get from eating whole, unprocessed, plant foods.

Contains; made with; made with real

So, a product contains real fruit or is made with whole grains or real butter. But how much of these does it contain? The manufacturer may have shaken a bit of whole-wheat flour over a vat of dough, or blessed the granola bar with a whisper of apple concentrate. Look for the on the package. The ingredients in a food product must be listed in descending order of predominance by weight. Your product may contain twice as much sugar as whole grains, and the “real fruit” may not be from the bowl of berries and grapes on the package but from a dab of apple concentrate that appears way down on the ingredient list.

Multigrain

Unless the label on a flour-based product says “100% whole grain,” words such as “multigrain,” “stone-ground,” even “organic” (see below) probably mean that the product is made from all or mostly refined flours, which have had the nutritious germ and bran removed.

Contains no…

For example, many products now advertise themselves as containing no high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). But substituting cane sugar or some other caloric sweetener doesn’t make the product healthier. The calories from the added sweetener still add up, and may contribute to the health problems associated with overweight and obesity.

Serving

You often see ingredients listed as “per serving” on a label. But really, who eats only half a cup of ice cream or a teaspoon of salad dressing? Read the product’s nutrition label to see how much fat (or sugar, sodium, etc.) you’ll get in the amount of the product that you actually eat.

Lightly sweetened

“Reduced sugar,” “no added sugar,” and “sugar-free” have legal definitions, but “lightly sweetened” doesn’t. You’ll see it on boxed cereals and beverages, any of which may contain more sugar than you’d consider “light” sweetening.

Organic

On the other hand, the word “organic” has a strict, highly regulated meaning. The label indicates that the food has met strict standards of production and (if applicable) processing. The standards prohibit use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering.

On the USDA’s page, you can also learn the meanings of various other terms such as “free-range,” “cage-free” and “grass fed.”

A few takeaways

Choose real, unprocessed food
As long as you follow good food-safety practices, you won’t go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs from the shell, unprocessed poultry and meats, wild-caught fish, whole grains and whole-grain flours, and dry beans and lentils.

Read before you buy/eat
Learn to read and understand and . Government regulations specify what must appear on these labels, although there’s huge room for improvement.

Choose grain-based products promoted as “100% whole grain”
Words such as “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,” “unbleached,” “enriched,” and “multigrain” often describe products made with refined flours. If the first ingredient listed on the label is 100% whole wheat, rye, corn, etc., this assures you that the product contains only whole grain(s).

Cook from scratch
With a little extra planning, making meals from scratch really doesn’t take that much more time. Think simple: Whole-grain toast, eggs, and fresh fruit makes breakfast. A bowl of salad greens topped with leftover chicken for lunch. A pan-grilled fish with steamed vegetables. Fresh fruit and a cube of favorite cheese for dessert.

Want goodies?
Make your own. Even if you’re using highly refined white flour and sugar, your homemade goodies will contain fewer or no artificial ingredients, and you’ll be able to avoid the plethora of synthetic ingredients, trans fats, and excess salt/sugars/fats found in most commercial snack and dessert products.

Do you have any nutrition tips? Let us know in the comments below!

Healthy Foods

About The Author

Margaret Boyles

Margaret Boyles is a longtime contributor to The Old Farmer’s ��. She wrote for UNH Cooperative Extension, managed NH Outside, and contributes to various media covering environmental and human health issues. Read More from Margaret Boyles

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The web links to the Government web sites are "out of Date". But they do suggest to click on other links as shown. Noted the comment are 8 years old. Interesting article, thanks. Tom

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Pretty straight forward information and is consistent with my recent 'nutritionist' visit. Here's an interesting catch 22 that may be presenting itself to at least a significant percentage of the population NOT confronted with obesity, but who have a need to revisit cholesterol levels via diet control (like me). Like you, who appears to have a very active physical life on or in a farm environment, I spend as much as 20-30 hours a week on top of a desk jockey job involved in all the physical activities associated with managing livestock. Average daily calorie intake just to maintain body weight runs between 3,000 and 5,000 calories DAILY. Would be interested in seeing something on how to balance the whole 'no saturated, no polyunsaturated' fat and accelerated fiber diet with that kind of calorie intake needs. I recognize obesity is a universal concern, but the challenges confronted by those with 'other' issues appears to be discounted as not quite so important. Trust me, losing weight when you are at optimum but need to alter diet is as equally problematic. Might make for an interesting flip side post.

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You had me until you recommended the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This organization of attorneys and activists are devout Vegans pressuring the world population to adopt their personal habits. There is NO real science or solid research involved, only Michael Jacobson's personal opinion.

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Hi Loey,

Please note that I didn't recommend the CSPI itself, only their food-labeling publication linked in my blog post.

I myself advocate only for healthful eating, not a specific dietary regimen. I do believe that food consumers ought to have simple, clear, and unambiguous labeling that describes what's in each package of food offered for sale. Furthermore, I believe food-marketing literature and labeling should be free of deceptive or misleading claims.

I thought the CSPI publication was thorough, fact-based, and balanced in its (albeit strong) recommendations for improved food labeling. I didn't find any activism on behalf of a particular diet, personal point of view, or way of life.

Have you read it? If not, I suggest you spend some time with it. If you have, please point out the sections you find objectionable. Perhaps we can have more discussion on the topic, here or in some venue outside the blog.

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