By: Matthew Fantazzi
Let's talk about food label deceptions and the key words, phrases, and ingredients that you need to understand to make the healthiest choice for you and your family.
Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) (hereinafter "Section 5") prohibits "unfair or deceptive acts or practices," and, in the case of food products, Sections 12 and 15 of the FTC Act prohibit "any false advertisement" that is "misleading in a material respect."
Sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately, the FDA, its fellow regulators, and the law makers are completely captured institutions and are not acting in the interest of informing the consumer, but rather misleading them on behalf of the giants of the food industry. All food labels should be viewed more as marketing gimmicks than accurate information, this list will act as a sort of translator for common food label deception, and the law makers are in on it because technically none of the following labels violate the laws written to enforce the above section of the FTC Act. At the end all the bold buzz words will be consolidated, and you can take a screen shot so you always have a handy list to check before making your trip to the grocery store.
1. "Sugar Free" "No Sugar Added" "No High Fructose Corn Syrup" - These are used often to imply that there is no sugar, and like most of these deceptions will technically be true, the company will use artificial sweeteners instead of actual sugar or high fructose corn syrup. These artificial sweeteners can be identified by words with the suffix "-ose", such as dextrose, ribose, sucralose, etc. Others like aspartame and saccharin are harder to identify but typically the "Low-Calorie" label is a good indicator. While sugar is something some seek to avoid for health reasons like diabetes, these artificial sweeteners can not only cause the same blood sugar regulation problems as sugar many of them cause cancer and add to the addictive make up of many processed foods.
2. "Gluten Free" - The FDA defines gluten free as any product containing less than 20 ppm (parts per million) of gluten, which for those with a gluten sensitivity may be able to tolerate but those with actual celiacs could have a more severe reaction to. This label is also voluntary, so manufacturers are not required to use it when making gluten free products.
3. "Non-GMO" - Genetically modified organisms, or GMO crops are almost impossible to avoid in America, whereas in Europe and many other countries including Russia, GMO foods are illegal because not only are there no studies done on the effects of GMO foods being consumed over long periods of time, the advantage that these modifications provide are that the crop can survive being drenched in certain pesticides and herbicides, many of which have been found to cause cancer, such as glyphosate, the carcinogenic ingredient in Round-up. For this reason, you want to avoid Corn, Soy, Canola, and wheat products grown in the US because they are dowsed in chemicals and are not the naturally occurring version of the crop which may be processed by your body in a way that can cause it to be broken down into toxic byproducts in some cases.
Now for the label deception, by law the "Non-GMO" label does not mean that the product does not contain any GMO's, non-GMO does not mean "Certified Non-GMO" which is the legal designation for a product that does not contain GMO products. Shameful that our regulatory agencies would allow companies to intentionally mislead consumers like that.
4. "Organic" - When you see organic, you think this product is grown using no chemical pesticides or fertilizers, and contains no GMO's, but the FDA has cheapened this label to only mean slightly better than a non-organic product. The FDA allows for trace amounts of GMO's to be included. Some organic labeled products are being grown in heavily polluted countries such as China and South America. Products from these countries are usually higher in heavy metals which are highly toxic, and the FDA has no "heavy metal free" label because it does not test for these toxins. The standards that are required to get the organic label really are just added costs and don't result in a higher quality product so many farmers will forego meeting the requirements to use the organic label but practice clean and organic farming practices and explain this to their local customers so that they can give them a better deal than they would if they spent the extra for the organic label.
5. "Grass-Fed" - Modern factory farming practices have begun to use corn and grains to feed cows because they have become incredibly cheap thanks to government subsidies, the problem is that cows were made to eat grass and graze in a open field. Farmers will do a few tricks, either raising them entirely on corn and grain which is how e-coli became so prominent, or they will raise them on grass for a portion and finish them with grain to fatten them up. This is also a problem because it effects the nutrient profile of the beef and throws off the omega-6 and 9 balances that are already out of whack in people who are eating the standard American diet, rich in seed oils. The cherry on top though is the FDA making the law state that the grass-fed label only requires that the animal be fed grass at some point and says nothing of the living conditions and whether or not they were raised in a humane manner.
6. "Free-Range" "Cage-Free" - This is like the grass-fed label for beef but for chickens, again cage-free means exactly what you expect, they were not kept in a cage, they just call it something different, and free-range only means that they were allowed to roam around at some point, in certain states to meet that requirement all the farmer has to do is open the coup door, and in these cases like at the Tyson factories, their GMO chickens are bred to be so fat they cannot even move and are basically hooked up to a feeding tube until plump enough to slaughter.
7. "No Hormones" "Hormone Free" - These labels are accompanied by disclaimers from the FDA and USDA that state that in dairy, the FDA does not recognize any difference between dairy products from animals using hormones and those without, which is of course a lie. The meat products will make a distinction between natural and synthetic hormones in order to use the hormone free label, but having these hormones present, be they natural or synthetic can be harmful. These labels also do not pertain to antibiotic use, which has caused our population to become more and more antibiotic resistant.
8. "Natural" "Natural Flavors" "All Natural" "Fruit Flavors" "Made with Real Fruit" - These terms are meaningless, merely feel-good advertising gobbledy-gook. Natural flavors by law only have to contain 10% of a naturally occurring flavor and the rest is typically something poisonous and awful. All natural has no legal definition from the FDA so literally is just to make junk food sound healthier. If you see fruit flavors or made with real fruit, you can be sure of one thing, and that's that there is no real fruit in the product, they are typically pumped full of dyes and chemical sweeteners and artificial flavors.
Now let's look at some of the most problematic ingredients that are contributing to the health crisis in America.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, or Seed Oils - Said by some doctors to be the root cause of all modern illness because of the role they play in weakening our cell membranes and damaging mitochondrial function. These include canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil. The alternatives you want to cook with and look for on your labels are butter, ghee, tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
Polysorbate 80 - This is an emulsifying agent that is commonly used in Ice Cream and it wreaks havoc on your gut lining and microbiome.
Artificial dyes - Red, blue, and yellow dyes have all been shown to have carcinogenic effects as well as other harmful effects and are found in many highly processed foods.
MSG - monosodium glutamate is an additive found in many soups and in Chinese foods that ads a salty flavor to the food and is highly addictive but also disrupts a signaling hormone called leptin that tells your brain that your full, contributing to metabolic disorders and obesity.
Enriched or fortified flour, wheat and grains - In America many of our grains and wheats are enriched with folic acid, which is not a nutrient, and your body can have a hard time utilizing it causing it to metabolize into sometimes toxic biproducts.
Potassium Bromate - Carcinogen that is added to flour and packaged baked goods.
Nitrates and nitrites - Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives used in cured meats. Nitrites can form from nitrates and have been linked to stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, and possibly brain and thyroid cancers.
Propyl paraben - Propyl Paraben is a preservative used in pastries and some tortillas. It causes developmental and reproductive harm.
Butylated hydroxytoluene - Also called BHT, is a preservative found in cereals and other foods. It’s a chemical cousin of BHA and is a possible human carcinogen.
Tert-butylhydroquinone - Or TBHQ, is a preservative used in Pop-Tarts and other processed foods. It may harm the immune system and weaken the effectiveness of vaccines.
Titanium dioxide is a color additive used mostly in candy. It may damage DNA.
BVO - Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, is used to stabilize citrus flavors in sodas and fruity drinks. It can cause neurological harm.
PFAS - The toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are used in food packaging and are known to leach into the food itself. They increase the risk of cancer and damage the immune and reproductive systems, among many other health harms.
"Sugar Free" "No Sugar Added" "No High Fructose Corn Syrup"
"Gluten Free"
"Non-GMO"
"Organic"
"Grass-Fed"
"Free-Range" "Cage-Free"
"No Hormones" "Hormone Free"
"Natural" "Natural Flavors" "All Natural" "Fruit Flavors" "Made with Real Fruit"
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils/Seed Oils - canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil
Polysorbate 80
Artificial Dyes
MSG
Enriched or Fortified Grains, Wheat and Flour
Potassium Bromate
Nitrates and Nitrites
Propyl Paraben
Butylated hydroxytoluene - BHT
Tert-butylhydroquinone - TBHQ
Titanium Dioxide
Brominated Vegetable Oil - BVO
PFAS
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