Page 194 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

IF YOU LOOK AT THE FACE OF A FOOD PACKAGE,
YOU’LL MOST LIKELY FIND THE FOLLOWING:
The product’s brand.
The product’s name—e.g., juice, jam, or jelly; chips, crisps,
or crackers. Or maybe that new catchall, “clusters.”
Descriptions of ingredients, flavors, or other attributes the
manufacturer has chosen to emphasize.

Images that help reinforce the description. You might see
a glam shot of plump red strawberries for strawberry-
flavored yogurt, or a vibrant fresh onion beside a heaping
bowl of white fluff for sour-cream-and-onion-flavored chips.

How much food the product contains, in weight—ounces
and grams, typically.

Occasionally this is also where you’ll find food date labels—
“sell by,” “use by,” “best if used by”—though they can be
tricky to spot, because the location varies. By and large,
these labels indicate quality—optimal freshness and taste,
according to the manufacturer—as opposed to food safety.
(See “Sell By: The Truth Behind the Date,” on page 206.)

YOU MIGHT ALSO SEE
health claims of various stripes;

third-party certification labels; and
some nutrition information that’s similar, though not iden-
tical, to what’s on the Nutrition Facts panel. That is by
design.

DISTRACTION TACTICS
Food labeling is an art of sleight of hand and misdirection.
Don’t get taken by misleading claims. The following are the
most common tactics.

Stuff that Comes from Factories 183

Conscious Eater_03 PT_4th patches.indd 183 10/23/19 1:35 PM