The Devil Is In The Details: 5 Reasons Food Labels are Misleading
In recent years, I’ve begun to feed my pets what could be called high-quality, or premium, pet foods. In researching these foods, I found that it’s incredibly important to know how to read the labels. This got me thinking: shouldn’t I be reading the labels of my own food?
The answer is a resounding “yes!” Once I began researching labels on human food, and how to read them, I was surprised to find out just how misleading these labels can be. And, even more disheartening, many manufacturers mislead us on purpose in order to sell their product. Here are the top five ways that the food industry is pulling the wool over our eyes:
1. “All Natural”
Because there is a push among consumers for more natural products, manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, labeling foods as “natural” when they actually contain citric acid, MSG and other additives. Don’t buy into the natural hype; the only way to get truly natural food is to stock up in the produce aisle, or, better yet, grow your own food in the garden.
2. “Zero Trans Fats”
Trans fats are dangerous to our long-term health, it’s true, but manufacturers know that when they add this catch phrase to a food label, consumers will gloss over the fact that the product still contains saturated fat. Consumers also tend to miss the total fat count when a product is labeled as having no trans fat. Consumers should be aware that the FDA very loosely regulates this labeling. As long as a product has less than half a gram per serving, they can claim to have no trans fat at all.
3. Ingredient Labels
Did you know that the first item listed in the ingredients section of your label is there simply because it weighs more than the others? Many people are unaware of this fact. Ingredients labels are ordered by weight, not the actual amount of the ingredient. This may or may not be important to you, depending on your dietary needs. If you are following a gluten-free diet or even watching your carbs, knowing how to read the ingredients label correctly can be important.
4. “Light”
This is a good one! When you see “light” on a label, what do you think of? If you’re like me, you think low in calories or low in fat content. You’d be mistaken! Only products that say “reduced fat” have a lower fat content. If a product label simply says “light”, it’s referring to the color of the product. For instance, a “light” cooking oil isn’t low in fat, it’s simply lighter in color than it’s “regular” counterpart. It’s amazing, isn’t it?
5. “Fresh”
When a label says “fresh” it only means that the food has not been frozen. “Fresh” chicken, for example, has been kept chilled but has not been frozen. It does not mean that you chicken was slaughtered earlier in the day or even earlier that week. In the same vein, any juice that has been “freshly squeezed” only means that it isn’t made from concentrate nor has it been frozen on its way to the store.
There is a strong outcry among the public for better regulations when it comes to the way our foods are labeled. It’s unfortunate that the majority of the information on food labels is misleading or just downright false. Because the way we eat can contribute to health problems, or help us control health issues like diabetes or an inactive thyroid, it’s important that we all take the time to learn how to read labels correctly.
Cynthia Johnson is a lab assistant and online contributor for one of the most notable health testing centers, offering a prescribed or self-ordered Lipid Profile and many other types of blood tests for everything from liver functions to a thyroid test.
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