5 Common Food Labels and What They Mean

I’ve been at this for over 5 years now, and even I still get confused about what food labels mean!  And I have to wonder sometimes too – are they true?

So I did some research to find out for myself if all-natural, organic and calorie-free mean what they claim.  The now age-old debate over gluten rages on, but I explored that label too plus I threw in whole grain for the non gluten-free folks.

All-Natural: This term does not mean free of artificial ingredients, healthy or made without GMO’s.  Surprised?  So was I!  You’re basically taking the company at face value when they claim to be all-natural as there are no official regulations by the FDA or Department of Agriculture for what can and cannot be labeled as such.  It’s important to read ingredients in this case, as something one company considers natural you might not, which is especially important when trying to lose weight.

Organic: Food can be made conventionally or organically, meaning it’s grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or anything else toxic.  For meat, poultry and eggs, it means no antibiotics or growth hormones are administered to the animals.  There are ongoing debates over whether organic food has any merit over non, but one thing to remember is that organic does not mean low calorie!  As always, read nutritional labels.  The USDA does regulate what organic means, and to find out more, visit http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.

Calorie-Free: Foods labeled calorie-free can and often times do have up to 4 calories per serving.  Zero-calorie nonstick sprays, no-calorie sweeteners, calorie-free dressings – you get my drift.  Products like these can legally claim to be calorie-free while still containing calories!  The same holds true for fat-free and sugar-free by the way. 

Gluten-Free: Gluten-free is one of the most popular terms on the market today, and with good reason considering about 75% of the population are celiac or gluten intolerant.  (I have my hand raised on this one!)  But it doesn’t necessarily mean diet-friendly like most people mistakenly think.  According to a Mintel study, 27% of gluten-free consumers eat gluten-free because they think it will help them lose weight!  When it comes to labeling though, this one’s dead on.  No gluten here.

Whole Grain: Providing you swing the other way when it comes to gluten, this category is for you!  However, the government does not have regulations in place for what defines a whole grain.  And, even if it claims to, just because a product has them doesn’t mean it has a lot of them.  To help out, the Whole Grains Council created an official packaging symbol called the Whole Grain Stamp that helps consumers find real whole grain products.  A 100% stamp indicates there’s a full serving of whole grains in each serving.