“The ingredient list is the most important piece of text on a product’s packaging because it shows, in descending order by weight, everything you are about to put into your body” (Stone, 2011, p. 43). Understanding what’s in the foods we buy is the key to stocking a nutritious kitchen and buying food that has been raised in ways that are sustainable, socially just, and environmentally responsible. Knowing how to read and understand food labels can help individuals make healthier food choices. But are labels truthful? What does juice from concentrate or multigrain bread or organic mean? Can food labels be manipulated? The answer to these questions is this: “It depends.”
At least half of all consumers understood food labels “in part,” while only 2 of 10 people said they consistently read or paid any attention to them (Zelman, 2014). The regulations behind food labeling are complex. Many consider this a deliberate action so food manufacturers can use “misleading” information to convince people to buy their products (Bjarnadottir, 2015).
The secret to deciphering food labels is knowing what to look for. With this knowledge, understanding the labels and making healthy choices becomes easier.
THE BASICS
The most common and well-known food label is the Nutrition Facts label found on most foods. This label is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on most packaged foods and beverages. It provides detailed information about a food’s nutrient content, especially about calories, fat, sodium, sugar, and fiber.
There are many other types of labels used on foods that also supply important information about how the food was planted, manufactured, harvested, and handled. Knowing how to read food labels is an extremely important part of staying healthy and is especially critical if an individual has a health condition, such as hypertension or kidney disease, that requires a special diet in which certain ingredients need to be restricted (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Knowing how food was planted, harvested, or manufactured is also vital if an individual is concerned about ecological, social, environmental, and humanitarian issues.