It pays to read the labels.

bobcat

bobcat

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Calif
I'm not very knowledgeable about food ingredients, but I'm fairly convinced that our modern diet is leading to many health conditions and bad outcomes. I will be the first to acknowledge that for many ingredients, the names are over my head, and I don't really know what they are. However, if they don't sound like wholesome and natural things, they probably aren't.

From various sweeteners, food colorings, emulsifiers, and additives, it can make your head explode. Food products that seem harmless may be anything but. Sometimes I feel like one needs a degree in food science to understand it all. It's simply not my field of expertise. Thank heaven for all you whistleblowers who have that knowledge. You are the watchdogs looking out for our health, and much appreciated. ❤️

High Fructose Foods.jpg
 

It's pointless. It's not like you can get around it. I do and have been made very aware of them since my now 21yo grandson developed food allergies as a child. But reading them does no good. Because now they all include natural flavorings and don't have to explain what that is. (Tip: it's often the bugs we're saying we won't eat.) Good luck finding a label that doesn't include natural flavorings. Or soy. Or as grandson pointed out to me last visit corn. Americans are given fillers, chemicals and natural flavoring.

And we're effed:


I hope Kennedy is able to fix this in the next four years. That's pretty awful.
 
Amen! I saw a story several weeks ago about Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts, a favorite snack of mine. Apparenlty the "lightly salted" version ingredients read simply "peanuts, sea salt," whereas the regular salted version had a much longer list of preservatives and chemicals. Next time I bought some I checked the labels, and sure enough, that story was correct. So from now on it's lightly salted for me.

Take these peanuts as a warning to start reading food labels, concerned consumers urge
 
oscash said:
That's if you can read the small print on the labels. I have great difficulty reading them and often have to go into the sunlight to read them or use a magnifying glass. Sometimes you see black printed on a dark green label. I usually seek out the sodium content and the sugar content as well.
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Exactly! I bought a small, credit-card–size magnifier for just this purpose.
 
Not going against any of the posts or the reasons people gave, but I just don't read food labels, and might not know what half of them were if I did. Maltrodextrin is one common additive, and who knows how many names there are for different preservatives. If the preservatives weren't added, we don't know if the product would be safe for consumption. So I just get what I need and go on unless I've heard warnings of something in particular.
 
Here are some interesting facts. It does pay to read the label!

Unlabeled ingredients on food packaging have indeed caused harm to people's health in various cases. This issue is particularly dangerous for individuals with food allergies or sensitivities. Here are some notable instances:

Allergen-Related Incidents​

In 2023, there were 154 food recalls due to unlabeled allergens, putting consumers at risk
1
. These recalls involved major allergens such as milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. Some specific cases include:

  1. Van's Gluten Free Original Waffles: These were recalled because they may have contained undeclared wheat due to packaging mix-ups
    1
    .
  2. Paradise Flavors ice cream bars: These products were recalled for potentially containing undeclared peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, milk, and color additives
    1
    .

Chemical Contaminants​

Beyond allergens, there are concerns about chemicals migrating from food packaging into food and subsequently into human bodies:
  • A study identified over 3,600 chemicals from food packaging that have been detected in human bodies, including blood, breast milk, and fat tissue
    4
    .
  • Some of these chemicals are known to be hazardous, including carcinogens and substances linked to hormone and reproductive problems
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    .
  • PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known as "forever chemicals," have been found in food packaging and are linked to some cancers, liver damage, and possible developmental defects in children
    4
    6
    .

Health Impacts on Children​

Certain food additives and chemicals commonly found in packaging have been shown to be particularly harmful to children:
  • Bisphenols (e.g., BPA): These can interfere with puberty and fertility, increase body fat, and cause problems with the immune and nervous systems
    7
    .
  • Phthalates: These chemicals can affect male reproductive development and have been associated with childhood obesity
    7
    .
  • Artificial food colors: These have been found to increase symptoms in children with ADHD
    7
    .
  • Nitrates and nitrites: These can interfere with thyroid function, impair blood's oxygen-carrying capacity, and increase the risk of certain cancers
    7
    .
While not all cases of unlabeled ingredients lead to immediate, visible harm, the long-term health risks associated with chronic exposure to these chemicals are concerning. The food industry and regulatory bodies must continue to improve labeling practices and reduce the use of harmful substances in food packaging to protect consumer health.
 
Blaze Duskdreamer said:
It's pointless. It's not like you can get around it. I do and have been made very aware of them since my now 21yo grandson developed food allergies as a child. But reading them does no good. Because now they all include natural flavorings and don't have to explain what that is. (Tip: it's often the bugs we're saying we won't eat.) Good luck finding a label that doesn't include natural flavorings. Or soy. Or as grandson pointed out to me last visit corn. Americans are given fillers, chemicals and natural flavoring.

And we're effed:


I hope Kennedy is able to fix this in the next four years. That's pretty awful.
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My favorite is "natural smoke flavor".
Is that even possible?
 
I don't generally read ingredient labels, but I do read nutrition labels to check calories, sodium, and carbs.

One exception for ingredient labels is when something is labeled "diet", "no added sugar", or "low calorie." For my personal preference, Stevia is what I choose. I try to avoid aspartame and sucralose. Maltitol can cause digestive issues, so I try to avoid that as well.
 
bobcat said:
I'm not very knowledgeable about food ingredients, but I'm fairly convinced that our modern diet is leading to many health conditions and bad outcomes. I will be the first to acknowledge that for many ingredients, the names are over my head, and I don't really know what they are. However, if they don't sound like wholesome and natural things, they probably aren't.

From various sweeteners, food colorings, emulsifiers, and additives, it can make your head explode. Food products that seem harmless may be anything but. Sometimes I feel like one needs a degree in food science to understand it all. It's simply not my field of expertise. Thank heaven for all you whistleblowers who have that knowledge. You are the watchdogs looking out for our health, and much appreciated. ❤️

View attachment 393294
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The only one I haven't been able to cut out is A-1 sauce. I love that!
 
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