c/food-label-lies

Found out that 'natural flavors' can actually include castoreum from beaver butts

That 'natural flavors' label got me good on a bag of chips

I bought these chips from a little market in Eugene because they said 'all natural ingredients' right on the front. Got home and flipped the bag, and the second ingredient was 'natural flavors' which I later found out can include MSG and artificial stuff. Now I check the fine print on everything, even if it looks clean. Has anyone else gotten tricked by that phrase?

Compared two jars of spaghetti sauce side by side and the one labeled 'no sugar added' actually had more sugar than the regular one, what gives?

I grabbed both at the Kroger in Nashville last week and the 'healthy' one listed sugar as the second ingredient after tomatoes while the regular one had it further down, has anyone else caught labels pulling that trick with serving sizes?

My grandma's orange juice trick from 1985

Bought a bottle of "100% pure" orange juice last week. Checked the label closer. It had added flavor packs. My grandma used to squeeze actual oranges in her kitchen in Nashville. No label tricks back then. Just fruit. Why is "100% pure" allowed on something with added stuff?

Shoutout to the organic bread that isn't actually whole wheat

I was at a farmer's market in Portland last weekend and saw a loaf labeled "organic artisan bread" with a wheat stalk on the front, but the first ingredient was enriched white flour. Why do we let companies slap a health halo on bread just because it's organic when it's still basically white bread?

Saw the sugar content on my old 'healthy' granola and had to change my mind

I used to buy this one brand of granola because it said 'all natural' on the front in big letters... thought I was making a good choice for breakfast. Then last week I flipped the bag over while waiting in line at the grocery store and saw it had 16 grams of sugar per serving. That's more than a candy bar. The front label made it look like a health food but the back told the real story with small print. Now I actually read the ingredient list even on stuff that sounds good on the package. Has anyone else been burned by the 'natural' label trick like this?

The "100% Organic" soup that lists corn syrup as its 2nd ingredient

I picked up a can of tomato soup at my local Stop & Shop last Tuesday because the front had a huge "All Natural" banner and a green leaf logo. Got home and read the fine print - the 2nd ingredient after tomato puree was high fructose corn syrup, not even cane sugar. It had like 18g of sugar per serving lol, that's more than a candy bar. Anyone else notice these big health claims on the front that the back label totally contradicts?

I opened a "healthy" granola bar and it had MORE sugar than a candy bar

I was helping my sister pack lunches for her kids in Austin last Tuesday and grabbed a box that said "All Natural, No Added Sugar!" on the front. When I flipped it over, the 3rd ingredient was evaporated cane juice and there were 15 grams of sugar in one bar. For comparison, a Twix bar has 14 grams. How is that legal? Has anyone ever gotten a company to actually change their label after calling them out?

Unpopular opinion: 'Made with real fruit' on those snack bars is a total joke

I checked the label on a box after my kid ate one, and the second ingredient is corn syrup. Has anyone found a brand that actually uses fruit first?

Just saw a 'no sugar added' juice at the store that's basically candy water

I was at the grocery in Austin yesterday and grabbed a bottle of cranberry juice that said 'no sugar added' in big letters. The small print showed it had 36 grams of sugar per serving, all from 'concentrated fruit juice'. That's more sugar than a can of soda. They're using the natural sugar loophole to make it seem healthy. Has anyone found a juice brand that's actually honest about this?

Walked through a Whole Foods in Austin last week and counted 12 items labeled 'natural' that had high fructose corn syrup

The word 'natural' means basically nothing on packaging. One granola bar had corn syrup as the second ingredient. Does anyone actually check what loopholes they're using?

Just found out the 'natural flavor' in my yogurt is from beaver glands, no joke

Read the FDA's definition of natural flavors and it can literally mean stuff from beaver castor sacs. Has anyone else seen this on a label and actually looked it up?

Noticed something weird about 'no added sugar' jam at the store last week

I was buying jam in Portland and grabbed one that said 'no added sugar' right on the front. When I flipped it over, the second ingredient was white grape juice concentrate. I looked it up later and that's basically just sugar with extra steps, lol. It feels like they're just using a different name to trick you. Has anyone else found a food that hides sugar like this?

Found a 'no sugar added' juice that's basically just sugar water

I was at the store last month looking for a healthy drink for my kids. I grabbed a bottle of apple juice that said 'no sugar added' in big letters on the front. It was $4.50. When I got home and actually read the back, the ingredients listed 'apple juice concentrate' and 'water'. I looked it up and learned that juice concentrate is basically a super sugary syrup they add water back to. So the 'no sugar added' is technically true, but the whole product starts as pure sugar. It's just juice, but they make it sound like a diet choice. I felt pretty tricked. The label should say it's made from concentrate right on the front, not hide it. Has anyone else found drinks that use this kind of wording?

Just realized 'made with real fruit' on my kid's snack meant a tiny bit of fruit powder

My friend pointed it out while we were at the park, saying the label should show the actual fruit percentage. What's the most misleading phrase you've seen on a package lately?

I finally asked my friend what 'made with real fruit' meant on her kid's snacks and she just pointed at the tiny picture on the back.

I used to think 'no added sugar' meant healthy until a trip to the grocery store in Austin.

I compared a 'no added sugar' granola to the regular kind and saw it had more fat and calories per serving. Shouldn't labels show the full picture, not just one good thing?

My 'natural flavor' lemonade turned out to be a chemistry experiment

I grabbed a bottle at the gas station because it said 'made with natural lemon flavor' instead of the one that just said 'lemon flavored'. The ingredients list had 'natural flavor' and then citric acid, malic acid, and sodium citrate. Tasted like sour candy, not a lemon. Shouldn't 'natural flavor' mean it tastes like the actual fruit?

Pro tip: I had to choose between 'made with real fruit' and 'fruit flavored' for my kid's snacks last week, and the 'real fruit' one still had sugar as the first ingredient.

Has anyone else found a brand that actually puts the fruit before the sweeteners?

Hot take: I'm fine with 'natural flavors' on the label

At the store yesterday, I had to pick between two chicken broths. One said 'made with real chicken' and cost $4. The other just said 'natural flavors' and was $2. I got the cheaper one. I looked it up later, and 'natural flavors' can still come from real food, just processed. It tasted just as good in my soup. Why do people get so mad about this term?

Hot take: I just discovered 'natural flavor' in my orange juice can legally come from a fungus.

I was reading the FDA's definitions online last night and found out that a 'natural flavor' doesn't have to come from the food it's imitating, which explains why my 'fresh squeezed style' juice tastes the same year-round.

Remember when 'natural flavor' actually meant something?

I spent a solid 40 minutes in the store yesterday trying to find a pasta sauce without added sugar, because they all just list 'tomatoes' and 'natural flavors' up front. The sugar is always buried in the back. My grandma's old recipe jar from the 80s just says 'tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt' and that's it. When did the ingredient list become a game of hide and seek?

My wife called me out for falling for 'made with real fruit' on a cereal box last year.

She pointed out the tiny print that said 'fruit juice concentrate' was the second ingredient after sugar, which made me switch to only buying stuff where the actual fruit is in the top three listed.

Pro tip: Check the 'servings per container' on that 'single serve' snack bag from the gas station.

Last Tuesday I grabbed a bag of chips at a 7-Eleven in Toledo that said 'single serve' on the front, but the tiny print on the back listed two servings inside, which meant the 12 grams of sugar shown was actually for half the bag.

Rant: Everyone says 'natural flavors' is a red flag, but I compared it to 'artificial flavors' on two frozen pizzas.

The 'natural' one had 3 more grams of sugar and way more sodium, even though the front of the box made it seem healthier. Has anyone else found a 'clean' label that was actually worse for you?