The labels have several functions: 1) educate the consumer on what is in the product and 2) attempt to draw the consumer’s attention to the product.
Here are some of the labels you may see on some of your food packages and what they actually mean.
Nutrient-related:
No saturated fat: Less than .5 g of fat per serving. It does not necessarily mean there is 0 fat.
High fiber: 5 g or more of fiber per serving.
Low calorie: Less than 40 calories per serving.
Reduced sugar: Less than 25 percent less sugar compared to similar products.
Labels relating to environmental and economic considerations of the food production:
Fair-trade: The food product is a certified fair-trade product. Fair-trade places stipulations on prices paid to food producers so producers obtain fair prices. There are other environmental and social considerations within the certification as well.
Non-GMO project: This is an organization that certifies food products that do not include any genetically-modified organisms (GMO) in the food produce. GMOs are certain foods that have been modified genetically. Much of our corn, wheat and soy in the United States is genetically modified.
Organic: 95 percent of the ingredients in the product are organically produced meaning no chemical pesticides, insecticides or herbicides where used during production. Also, organic products cannot include ingredients that are GMOs.
Made with organic ingredients: Greater than 70 percent of ingredients are organic.
All Natural: No artificial or synthetic ingredients.
Using these labels to make informed choices is important but be sure not to take each label at its face value. For example “natural” does not necessarily mean “healthy”. For instance, sugar added to a product can carry the label “natural” because sugar is natural. It is important to read the ingredient list and nutrition panel also. “Organic” does not mean all organic. The package has to say “100 percent organic” to ensure all ingredients are organic.
I tell people to decide what is important to them in terms of foods to eat and pay attention to those labels. Which label(s) do you pay the closest attention?
I have only provided a few labels that appear on food packages. Here are some internet resources you can visit if you want more information regarding some of the labels mentioned.
Non-GMO project: http://www.nongmoproject.org/about/mission/
Nutrient claims: www.clemson.edu/extension/
World Fair-Trade organization:http://wfto.com/
Organic labeling: www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling
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