Reading a food label without being tricked
The front of the box is trying to sell you
Look at any food package. The front is full of big words and pictures.
That front is marketing. Its job is to make you pick up the box.
A company picks every front word to look good. It can leave parts out.
Where does each thing live on a package: the front, or the back?
Tap an item, then a bucket
The Nutrition Facts panel is not optional. U.S. law requires it.
Its numbers follow strict rules. Unlike the front, they cannot be made up.
“The Nutrition Facts label tells you the nutrient content, like the amount of fat, sugar, and other nutrients in the food.”
U.S. FDA, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
A snack shouts “natural” and “good source of fiber” on the front. Does the front tell the whole story?
The front of the box tells me what is really inside.Tap to reveal
It feels true because the front is big, colorful, and read first. But the front is marketing. The checkable facts live on the back, in the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list.
So the front sells. The back tells. Next, you learn to read the back.