Did you wish you knew what’s in your favorite snack at a glance? Isn’t that what the label on the snack is supposed to do?
If you’re wondering about this, I did too. But situations have taught us that, it’s not always so on the grounds. I have decided to pursue a small project where I thoroughly analyze the labels of 30 common shelf-stable foods. In doing this, I have just 2 goals;
- To help you know a bit more about what you’re eating
- To offer some relevant insights to food companies
I’ve made so many observations in just a week into this project, some of which I’ll share in this article.
As you would know, healthy food contributes a great deal to good health. And while you might find yourself trying as much as possible to make sure your food is healthy, you might not always get it. For one, availability and accessibility and even convenience play a big role here.
Most food companies are working tirelessly to ensure their products are top notch in terms of quality. Speak of the regulations that restrict them from doing whatever they want. And also the demands from you, the consumer. But sometimes, their efforts may be wrought with discrepancies.
One way to handle this situation is for you to take a closer look at the food labels.
Are food labels accurate?
You may have genuine concerns, just as most consumers. For instance, I got these comments under this LinkedIn post:
“When it claims it’s all natural – but most often they mean natural identical and they don’t explicitly make it clear.“
“Working out if something is gluten-free. Sometimes, it is (based on ingredients) but it doesn’t actually say gluten-free clearly on the packaging.“
“Brands often use a lot of marketing techniques to make their products look healthy which they are actually not.“
Have you shared similar concerns as the above?
What’s important when reading food labels?
Every single piece of information on a label is important, that’s why it is there in the first place. But let’s face it, you can’t read every single information every time on a food label. So here’s a way around this.
Here’s how you can read food labels
Let’s say that whenever you take a food product, you already know what kind of food it is – snack, beverage, meat, etc.
1. Check the dates
Use by, best before or expiry date. Each of these dates has a different meaning. Once a product has not by passed these dates, you can still want to go for the food product.
Think of it as you helping the broader food system to reduce food waste. Aside that you would also be helping the shop owner to reduce losses (they’ll be able to keep their employees). That’s real impact you’re making.
Now, even if the food product has passed the date, but it was kept well and there’s no sign of spoilage or poisoning, it can still be safe for eating. There’s a nuance here though. Some foods can be unsafe but you won’t see any signs. It’s a dicey issue but if you really understand how the product has been handled, especially products you bought and stocked in your home for long, you’d want to do this check before tossing it.
2. Inspect the ingredients
Guilty of not checking this? Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So if you find a label with ingredients wheat flour, avocado, peanuts, vegetable oil, etc, it means wheat flour is the most in the product.
So take a cue from this, if sugar, salt or fat is closer to the beginning of the ingredient list, be duly guided. There are nuances, however. For intance, if you’re purchasing vegetable oil, you wouldn’t say fat is first on the list (would you?) Here, your focus should rather turn towards the types of fat in the product. So be duely guided. There’s no one-size-fits-all.
3. Assess the nutritional information
Your focus here should be on the percentage of fats and sugars. The higher the percentage of each of these, the more they are in the product. Look out for percentage of transfats and saturated fats out of total fats. And also, percentage of sugars out of carbohydrates. Another major focus here should be on calories.
Here’s a simple guide on how to assess the info on a nutrition panel with an example
Now let's explore calories
Calories are per particular weight. Who doesn’t know? 😏 But here’s the thing.
The “calorie weight” is not necessarily equal to the total weight of the product.
The calorie weight is usually based on a measured amount of food which is referred to as the serving size. It is a standardized amount of food.
Let’s say you’re holding your favorite snack.
14kcal per serving is glaring at you happily from the packaging. The serving is about 4g. Sounds great! 😍
The only thing is that the total product weight is 150g. So, if you decide to consume the entire snack (that’s if you’re able to). That’ll be a whopping 525kcal you’re taking in! This 525kcal is not written on the packaging.
This is what happens for most products. For my project, I made this observation for almost all the products.
This may not be wrong on the side of the producers because they’re following the rules and they also want to maintain a standard for convenient measurements.
So, it rather behoves you to do the needful – know what you’re consuming. If you’re aware, then you can make choices that suit you best.
Here’s a fact. You can’t go about calculating calories for every single food item you buy every single time! 😫
So, what do you do instead? Here’s my recommendation based on my own experience.
For a particular product, check the label as already described in a previous section of this article. Once it suits your needs, there’ll no need checking it again when next you go grocery shopping. Unless of course, the company proclaims any changes they make to the product.
Usually, this kind of information would be on the packaging as:
- Same original taste, improved packaging
- A variant of what you’re used to
- Newly improved
Or things along these lines.
You might also see or hear it in their commercials.
Note: everyone’s calorie need is different so you should check before doing something that goes against your unique makeup.
Remember, each informed choice is a step towards your vibrant health.
Here’s some extra information you could check
Claims
They suggest or imply the presence of certain substances or benefits of the food product. Some types of claims you may come across are:
Health claims. Example: Calcium builds strong bones
Nutrient content claims. Example: high in fiber, gluten-free
Structure or function claims. Example: vitamin C supports immune health
Impact stories or sustainability endeavors
The food industry has come under ‘attack’ as one of the industries contributing to environmental and social problems. Speak of labour usage, “duping” of farmers, plastic packaging, unhealthy ingredients, etc. So, most companies are making an extra effort to put things right. And if what they say is really what they do, it’ll be good if you as a consumer knows about it to show your support based on your preferences.
Preservatives
The preservatives list which is usually part of the ingredients list. They usually have names that the everyday person is not farmiliar with. While this may be the case, you could check to be aware.
