Nutrition · 6 min read
Reading Nutrition Claims On Packaging
Front-of-pack language is designed to be persuasive. This guide separates defined terms from marketing phrases.
Packaging language falls loosely into two groups: terms with a defined meaning, and terms that simply sound healthy. Learning which is which makes comparison shopping far less confusing.
Turn the package over. The nutrition panel and ingredient list are ordered and quantified, while the front of the pack is free-form marketing. When the two appear to disagree, the panel is the more informative document.
Ingredient lists are ordered by weight, which is a quick way to see what a product mostly consists of. Long lists are not automatically worse, but they do deserve a slower read.
A note on scope
This guide is general educational information and not medical advice. Read our methodology to see how we assess products, and our affiliate disclosure for how this site is funded.