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Reading food labels can be tricky. It’s really hard to figure out exactly what different nutritional claims really mean. So here are some guidelines:
WHOLE GRAIN:
- “Made with whole grain” means that there has to be SOME whole grain in it, but not how much. It could be a lot, but could also be very, very little. Remember that they have to list the ingredients according to the amounts, so check out the first three ingredients on the label.
- “An excellent source of whole grains” means at least half of the serving must be from whole grains.
- “A good source of whole grain” means as little as a quarter of the serving is from whole grains.
- “Multigrain” is any mixture of grains which may or may not be totally refined.
FAT FREE/CALORIE FREE
Let’s take PAM cooking spray or Fat-Free butter substitutes. They claim to provide fat free cooking. But if you read further into the label you will find that the main (and sometimes only) ingredient is usually corn oil or some type of hydrogenated oil. Those, and all other oils, are 100% fat! How are they legally able to do that? Let me tell you. The law says that any food that provides less than ˝ a gram of fat per serving can be labeled as “Fat –Free”. What they don’t specify is how large or small a serving size must be, so the manufacturers just make the serving size less than ˝ a gram. You do the math.
MORE NEXT TIME ON THE MEAT AND DAIRY INDUSTRY LABELLING…