Ingredient Labels 101

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Curious what you’re eating? Read the ingredient label. You might be surprised!

Did you know that most pancake syrup is made from corn? Cheetos are made from corn too, not cheese like most kids guess. And depending on the brand, those Strawberry flavored fruit strips are actually made from apples. 

Unless you’re biting into whole foods like a banana or a carrot, it can be a challenge to figure out what you’re eating if you just look at the food. Never fear, you can always figure it out by looking at the ingredient statement on the package. Let us help you decipher what you’re eating in 3 easy steps:

  1. FIND IT

  2. UNDERSTAND IT

  3. EVALUATE IT

Then you can EAT IT…maybe.

The ingredient statement is mandated to be on every packaged food item that is created from 2 or more ingredients. I’ve listed out some helpful tips on how to use it to your advantage:

FIND IT

    • You can find it on your package in conjunction with the Nutrition Facts Panel, usually underneath it.

    • The word INGREDIENTS: will be written in bold, with a semi colon following it.

    • Hopefully, it’s a relatively short list. The shorter the list, the less processed the food you’re about to consume. 7 ingredients is short. 50 ingredients is long.

UNDERSTAND IT:

    • THE ORDER The ingredients are always listed in the same order, from the greatest amount to the least amount. Each ingredient is weighed, and the heaviest ingredient is listed first, then the next heaviest, and on down to the lightest…sort of. The ingredients listed after a “Contains 2% or less of…” statement do not need to be in a specific order.

    • (PARENTHESIS) If a listed ingredient contains 2 or more ingredients, they will be listed in parenthesis from the greatest amount to the least amount.

    • THOSE BY THE SAME NAME Be aware that there are many names for the same type of ingredient, like sugar. If they were combined, that type of ingredient might be listed closer to the beginning of the ingredient statement. If you want an eye opening read, check out ALL these names for sugar by clicking HERE.

    • ALLERGENS Any of the eight major allergens must be called out. The 8 include: Milk, Eggs, Fish, Crustacean Shellfish, Treenuts, Peanuts, Wheat, and Soybeans. They can be highlighted in one of two ways -

      1. In parenthesis following the name of the ingredient, for example flour (wheat).

      2. Immediately after the list of ingredients in a contains statement, for example “Contains wheat, milk, and soy.”

EVALUATE IT

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EAT IT…maybe

    • Now that you know what’s in your product, you decide if you want to eat it!