Decoding food labels
Anatomy of a food label
There is no right or wrong way to read a food label. How you interpret the information on a food label will largely depend on your specific needs, goals and preferences. What is an acceptable food choice for one person, may not be to another. Note: the higher you go up in the level of food processing, the more trade-offs you may take.
Front of package:
- Food packaging is a top factor that influences consumer perceptions and purchase decisions, and manufacturers know this.
- 72% of American consumers say that product packaging influences their purchase decisions.
- Ignore everything on the front of the package. It is full of marketing gimmicks designed to "sell you" on the product.
- Some misleading claims include:
- Excellent source of vitamins
- Good source of calcium
- Fat free
- Good source of fiber
Nutritional facts panel:
- Nealy 80% of U.S. adult consumers regularly refer to the nutrition facts panel when shopping.
- Only 28% of consumers find the nutrition facts panel easy to understand.
Key facts
- Serving size and servings per container
- This is where perception and reality collide
- Calories
- Don’t judge a food by calories alone
- Fats
- Check for 0 grams trans fat
- Some saturated fat from otherwise nutrient-dense foods is okay
- Monounsaturated fats are best
- Sodium
- Find the lowest you can for that product
- Dietary fiber
- The more the better, generally speaking
- Added sugars
- Find the lowest you can for that product
- If added sugars are low, non-nutritive sweeteners may have been added
Don't sweat these
- % DV (percent daily values)
- Vitamins/minerals (unless you have a specific need)
- Cholesterol
- It only comes from animal products and is not typically added to foods
- Total carbohydrates
- Focus more on the fiber and added sugar values
- Protein
- Most people get enough with a normal diet
Ingredient list
- 62% of consumers are paying more attention to the ingredient lists now than they did five years ago.
- Focus on the first few ingredients
- Product ingredients are listed by weight, from highest to lowest
- Look for shorter ingredient lists with ingredients you recognize
- Long ingredient lists and unrecognizable ingredients can indicate higher levels of processing
Highlights to remember
- The absence of “bad” stuff in a food doesn't make it ”good” choice.
- Consider a food in its totality. Generally speaking, do not include or exclude a food based on just one criteria.
- Consider how nutrients made it into a food. Do they occur naturally, or are they added? As often as possible, choose foods that are naturally nutrient-dense.
- Choose foods that resemble their natural form as closely as possible.
- Choose foods that you could (theoretically) make at home using household culinary methods and ingredients.
- Define your nutrition priorities and make the best choices you can to honor those, knowing some tradeoffs may need to be made.