What "health food" labels really mean

Enter any supermarket today and you’ll encounter endless variations of what otherwise appears to be the same product: five types of milk, three types eggs, two dozen types of juice.

Those of us who consider ourselves “health-conscious” will scan the labels of these items in search of helpful keywords in order to cut through the clutter. Terms such as “organic”, “all natural” and “no sugar added” seem to steer us toward healthier purchase decisions—and we’re willing to pay a premium for the apparent increase in quality and nutrition.

But what do these terms actually mean? According to Dr. Nina Shaprio of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the answer is: not much.

“We are being duped,” she says. “They’re all marketing terms.”

Dr. Shaprio notes that the converse isn’t necessarily true—these products are not unhealthy, per se. But terms such as “all natural” have no real health meaning and are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Her advice for navigating the options presented to us at the supermarket: scan the nutrition labels on the back of the packaging, rather than the marketing terms on the front.

“If you see something that says ‘no sugar added’,” Dr. Shaprio says, “turn the package around and see how much sugar is in the item. You will be amazed!”

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