Food Label Tricks

Knowing how to read a food label takes work and as consumers food manufactures don’t make it easy for us.  Could what you see on the box really just be fancy marketing?  For instance, just because the can you are buying says low sodium doesn’t mean it still can’t have tons of salt.  How about a food that says “no trans fat per serving” but yet it’s ingredients list partially hydrogenated soybean oil.  What about the new ’seals of approval’, do they really mean anything?

The best way that we can fight the marketing tricks of food manufacturers is through knowing how to recognize their tactics.  Be smart and become an educated consumer and then the next time you go to the grocery store you can leave smiling instead of frustrated.

Here are three great links on reading food labels from Consumer Reports and Shop Smart, a publication of Consumer Reports.

Food Label Tricks & Truths – PDF

A List of Tricks Shown on Food Labels

Confusing Food Labels – Video

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3. The Double-Edged Sword of “Healthy” Fast Food
4. Should I Eat Organic Food
5. Junk Food vs. Healthy Food