Food Labels That Mean Nothing

This post gathers up all the absolutely meaningless food labels we are confronted with when we go grocery shopping at conventional or even specialty stores.

I find these labels meaningless because they either do not actually say anything helpful (like a tautology) despite looking like they do, they imply something meaningful that leads nowhere, or outright misleads consumers about their food. There are actually lots of these, but I wrote about only the ones I noticed over a period of a couple of weeks shopping. Plus, I added some that I want desperately to have meaning.

My coding:

• * : helpful + regulated
• / : partially helpful, with caveats
• X: not helpful in the least

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Sample of Real Food Certifications

* American Humane Certified

* Fair Trade Certified

* Hallal Certification

* Kosher Certification

* Non-GMO Certification

* Certified Organic

The Rest Might be All Marketing

Understanding food marketing labels can help guide us in making factual decisions regarding food purchases, rather than emotional ones. Here I am mostly speaking about those grand statements located on the front of the package that are designed to have high visual impact. But the truth is, all the required factual information about food can be found on the nutrition panel and in the ingredient declaration. So when shopping, I try to skip the marketing hype, and dive into the details for the facts.

/ Antibiotic Free

X Contains No Toxic Pesticides

Again this phrasing implies that others have these things, but we do not. It is a strange label, I take it to mean that this food might have pesticides, but they will not kill you? I tend to skip this.

/ Fresh (regarding meat)

Legally, the “fresh” label on meat products only means the internal temperature of that meat product must never go <26°F. Is this helpful? Well yes, but to me it has nothing to do with ”freshness” as it really is a statement about ”frozeness”.

/ Grass Fed or 100% Grass Fed

First off, pay attention to the terminology.

• Grass-fed beef should indicate cattle that ate nothing but grass and foraged foods after they were weaned.
• Grass-finished beef, on the other hand, may have been started on a grass diet (or not), but received supplemental grain feed, or are “finished” on a diet to fatten up just before slaughter.

Several articles I read indicated that in 2016 the USDA withdrew its standards for the Gress-fed label; one blogger implied it was due to large factory farms who objected, but I have no idea. Since then, this type of label provides just a bit of information, but not enough.

• For instance, 100% grass-fed cows and sheep can be treated with growth hormones or antibiotics and the only guarantee is that they will be more expensive than conventionally farmed animal meat.
• But if it says it is also organic, then it means it is grass fed with no additional hormones and limited (for medical reasons) antibiotics.

But the Grass-fed title is self-interpreted, and it is possible to use the label even when skipping any verification process (1). Additionally, grass-fed does not guarantee pasture or ranch raised. Bottom line appears to be, that unless you know the source or see an official certification, it is nearly impossible to believe any grass-fed claims.

Also it depends on where the animal was raised, in the mid-west USA it gets too cold to put any animal out to pasture during winter time, so they are only part-timers on the pasture, for good reason. In other areas this may not be the case, so check the source of the meat.

X 100% Natural or All Natural

I have already posted on the terms “natural,” “all natural,” or “100% natural” as a meaningless phrase that carries a ”feeling,” but no standard definition leading to regulatory implications. This is a pure marketing term:

• Implies a comparison to competitors: “since we are natural they must therefore be un-natural.”
• Uses the ”appeal to nature” false argument that ”natural” is all good and ”un-natural or synthetic is bad.”
• “Natural” says nothing about the food’s safety or its nutritional value.

Along with this phrase, often others appear on the same packaging such as: no artificial ingredients, minimally processed, etc. My observation here is the same as in my post.

• PattyCooks: Arsenic is a natural ingredient found in rice, but while that does not make your bowl of organic, American-harvested rice unsafe to eat, it also does not make arsenic safe to eat.

X Artisanal

Artisanal is a term of marketing. Even so, it implies a food that has been prepared in limited batches, done traditionally by hand, and should taste better than regular versions of the item. By implication, it must also be healthier. This is not a regulated food label, so more likely than not just an advert. I do not allow this term to influence my buying decisions.

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Are There Believable Assurances?

Pesticide Free

I would pay attention if something said ”Organic and Pesticide Free.”

Monterey Market does mark items that are not organic (meaning they have not done the process and payments to be labeled organic) but are “pesticide free”. I do buy these after speaking to one of the workers about its meaning to them.

Fat Free

I pay attention to this label for dairy products like milk, sour cream, etc.

“Fat Free” is a phrase that means free of fat, but this does not mean low caloric, as the food could be high in sugars and salt. So while ”Fat Free” implies low-cal and healthy it need not be.

It is also the issue of ”fat free” being highly processed foods, and what else might be in the food to make up for the loss of that fat.

Food Tautologies

I hate these things with a passion unreasonable for what they are, it is marketing just slapping me in the face.

• Corn, quinoa, etc. that have a label ”gluten free.”
  • The only exception where my hackles do not jack up would be for oats, which are often processed in plants that also may process wheat products so the label in this case is very informative.
• GMO food must be labeled, so to see ”No GMO” on a non-GMO product by definition drives me nuts.
  • USDA does not allow growth hormone for poultry, so bags of chicken wings with ”No growth hormone” is not very helpful. My spouse thinks this label is helpful because not everyone knows the USDA does not allow growth hormone in poultry,
• Any case where they say ”no xyz chemical” in something that does not have that chemical by its very nature.
  • Like ”gluten free” on a water bottle. It is like placing a sticker on a car that says ”Not A Truck.”
• To see ”uncured” meat with an asterisk indicating it has nitrates/nitrites just from other sources than curing salt. (This is a very dumb USDA regulation, more below)

Genetically Modified Organisms

In general I skip GMO foods, and prefer organic local meat to prevent eating any meat where the animals is fed GMO feed. But I acknowledge it is hard.

Labeled GMO or non-GMO in general, does not help me in making food purchasing decisions since I am not anti-GMO per se , as it is just a quicker way to do selective breeding or mutagenisis in terms of outcome.

But after much thought, see my post My Stand on GMO, I decided that politically, ethically, environmentally, and financially GMO products have an inherent tendency to harm.

Hormones for Farmed Animals

No animal is hormone free, so any ”hormone free” label applied to farm raised animals is just bunk. However, ”no added hormone,” or ”no synthetic hormone” is probable under some circumstances. Back in the 1950s, the USDA banned hormones in poultry, so seeing a ”no added hormones” label on chicken or turkey, is meaningless.

Certain steroid hormones are allowed for beef cattle. Any residual hormones in the food system are considered by the US FDA as ”safe” (1). If the farmed animal is organic, no synthetic growth hormone is allowed.

The question I have is that given the influence of politics in our governmental system, it is not clear to me that the agencies are trustworthy. We have seen, especially over the last 6 years or so, the blatant application of politics on science. It has made me more cautious over the agency interpretation of scientific findings. Bottom line, though, is that I would prefer my food without added hormones or unwarranted antibiotics administered, not due to the occasional animal illness, but due to the harshness of factory or industrial farming techniques.

Lightly Sweetened

This is a non-monitored phrase that does not mean anything. I would assume it means when compared to the previous version, or competitors, but it does not have to (1).

Multigrain or Whole Grains

This does not imply healthy, just that the product has more than one grain (1).

Grains (wheat, barley, oats) have three parts: bran, endosperm, and germ. Grains that contain all its parts should be called “whole grains” and studies show they are better for your health. But the term does not mean it is only made with whole grains, so look for 100% whole grain (1).

No Antibiotics in USA Farmed Animals

I prefer organic, pastured raised animals raised in regenerative agricultural settings of a small to medium-sized family farm.

There are no USDA-approved labels clearly indicating a food item is completely “antibiotic-free” or raised with “no antibiotics.”

Technically, in the USA farmed animals must be effectively antibiotic free, with no unsafe levels of residues in their bodies before they are to be processed for meat. But this depends upon where your meat comes from (country), and how good our USDA inspectors are at their jobs.

No Artificial Colors + No Artificial Flavors

This is a sneaky phrase that is not regulated. So, ”No Artificial Colors” does not mean everything is made with natural ingredients, and the item could have artificial flavors. Likewise something with “No Artificial Flavors” could have artificial colors. The term ”artificial” is key to understanding what the marketers are saying.

For instance we can see a vanilla cracker advertised with no artificial flavors, but is using a Beaver’s anal gland (actually, it is a little sac next to the anal gland) for the vanilla flavor instead of the vanilla bean (1).

• DelightedCooking: In general, though, all food colorings come from two broad sources. Naturally derived colors come from plants, animals, and other organic material. Chemical colors, on the other hand, are often coal or petroleum based, and tend to be mixed to perfection in labs using a lot of artificial processes.

But the gland is ”natural” and the color comes from so the cookie could also say, “Natural with No Artificial Colors.”

No Nitrites or Nitrates Added

This topic I have also posted on before, see Let’s Talk Bacon, where I clearly state that Nitrites and Nitrates are not healthy to consume. On food packaging, if you look carefully, after a declaration that Nitrites/Nitrates are added, you may find a little note that states ”except for naturally occurring compounds in sea salt and celery powder. This is essentially negating its claim, and may even contain more nitrites or nitrates than previous.

• No added nitrates or nitrites implies no unhealthy chemicals are in this food.
• Sea salt, celery powder or celery salt, or beets all have a naturally high level of nitrites/nitrates.
• So when the ingredients include these natural food items they do have these chemicals in the food.

Pasture-raised or Free-ranged

To me these are marketing terms unless there are certified logos on the packaging to prove the condition of the animals; such as the “American Humane Certified” or the “Certified Humane” seal. 

Uncured Meat

Curing is a salting chemical process used to inhibit the bacterium that causes botulism, improve appearance, and slows the oxidation of animal fat that leads to rancidity. It does this through a chemical process that transforms sodium nitrate NaNO₃ into sodium nitrite NaNO₂ which is a carcinogen (1).

• By definition, a “cured meat” means that it has been preserved by introducing sodium nitrate, a naturally occurring salt found in many vegetables (like celery, beets, leafy greens), or curing salt (1; 1). 

By USA governmental regulations, only sodium and potassium nitrate and nitrite are considered to be curing agents. So any processed meats that are cured using naturally occurring nitrates and nitrites are required to be labeled as uncured. This is where the governmental definition and regulatory requirements leads to mislabeling. So beware the ”un-cured meat” products and really check to see how they are curing and what they are using. Look for the asterisk that further explains, ”except for naturally occurring nitrites in ….”

Companies in Italy (1) and the USA are starting to look at curing using natural salt and not curing salt, sea salt, or veggies, and are the only ones that should rightfully advertise as uncured.

• Curing salt is a light pinkish mixture of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite and in raw form is toxic.
• Regular table and kosher salt is almost pure sodium chloride with variable minerals and are not toxic. (Too much salt is not healthy, but that is another issue.)

Bottom line, unless fresh (where no curing is needed) or you do it your self and know what you added, all deli-type meat should be considered cured. As such you need not remove it totally from your diet, just limit consumption. I love hot dogs and sausages, but I would never eat them every day for my life time. Moderation and variation is key to a good diet.

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Behind the Hype

Here is what I need to pay attention to and recommend you do too. First, what is the portion size for the nutritional label. Often to make it seem smaller I am assuming, a package that looks like 1 serving is officially considered two and 250 calories quickly becomes 500 calories. So long as manufacturers can, essentially, determine serving size it takes effort to compare like foods.

Second, I look for the amount of salt, fiber, and any added sugars so I can decide if this food is good for me.

Third, I check the ingredients list keeping an eye out not only on the ingredients, but also where they are in the list. Closer to the top of the list means there is more of that item, essentially listed in descending order by weight. If it leads with sugar I am not buying that product.

Fourth is to learn the various names for the items you must limit or not consume. Sugar and gluten comes under many names, do you know them? Here HealthLine, my go to website, lists some of names for sugars in food.

• Types of sugar: beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered sugar, cane sugar, caster sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, golden sugar, invert sugar, muscovado sugar, organic raw sugar, raspadura sugar, evaporated cane juice, and confectioner’s sugar.
• Types of syrup: carob syrup, golden syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, malt syrup, maple syrup, oat syrup, rice bran syrup, and rice syrup.
• Other added sugars: barley malt, molasses, cane juice crystals, lactose, corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextran, malt powder, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, disaccharides, maltodextrin, and maltose.
• Artificial Sweeteners: I tend to avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, xylitol, etc. Please note that xylitol is now being marketed as “birch sugar” and it is highly toxic to dogs. It is often put in peanut butter, which dogs love. So don’t feed your dogs peanut butter with ”birch sugar” in it!

I know I have missed some of the hype, but I hope this helps keep us aware.

—Patty

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