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A label is more than just a calorie counter. There is a lot of good information there, including nutrients and serving sizes. A label can be a great tool to use when you are planning meals when out shopping by looking at how many servings are in a container. Some labels even have recipes, which allow you to try new things more easily.
Food labels make many vague claims from organic, to non-GMO, non-hormone, and many more. The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labels are most trustworthy, and more meaningful than others. USDA Certified Organic has certain standards that other Organic claims may not hold to. The green, Certified Organic seal means that a product is raised without most synthetic products available today. Some synthetic pesticides can be used, but only from an approved list. In addition, anything Certified Organic is automatically a non-GMO product. Labels that just say organic can mean any range of things, as it means the product is organic by the company's standards. This can be different for every company, and to know more a consumer can visit their website or call the company to find their definition.
Non-hormone or antibiotic-free means that the product was raised without added hormones or antibiotic use. Some hormones are used as growth promoters, to help animals grow with more muscle, less fat, and to use their feed more efficiently. The use of these hormones is all FDA-approved, and doesn't affect the meat. quality. It is also important to remember that any growth hormones added to an animal's body is a hormone that can be produced by the animal, but for a number of reasons is not produced naturally at a rate that makes them efficient producers. Antibiotic-free is an animal that has adequate records to prove that it was raised with no antibiotics. All antibiotic use is also regulated by the FDA and no longer contains medically important antibiotics. Medically important antibiotics means antibiotics that are commonly used in human medicine. Any antibiotic use is now strictly regulated by veterinarians, and are mainly used to treat sick animals.
The ingredients list is another useful tool. Knowing exactly what is in the food you are eating is important to a lot of people. Eating "real fruit snacks" can mean anything from a fruit powder or concentrate to juice with other added sugars and acids. Great alternatives to fruit gummies is dried fruits, which are commonly freeze-dried whole fruits with one ingredient. Another easy way to eat fresh, whole foods in this fast-paced world is to buy frozen or canned vegetables. These have increased shelf-life with few additives or adjustments to the food. Canned products can include extra salt or sugars to preserve them, so again, it's important to review the label before purchasing. Preservation is something you can do at home with your own produce to keep it fresh year-round. Consumers should also review ingredients in alternative products, such as almond or soy milk, which contain may stabilizers and flavorings to create a more enjoyable product. Compare this to real milk which contains 2 added vitamins to allow better uptake of nutrients.
When at the grocery store, it is important to read labels. Understand not only what is written under calories, but also the ingredients used to make the product. If consumers really want to know what goes into their food, they must read deeper into what is written on the package.