Understanding Food Labels

“Ingredients” on a food label are listed in descending order according to their quantity in that food. The first three or four ingredients listed usually make up most of the product.

Fat and sugar come in many different forms; even if they are not one of the first three ingredients, the food can still be very high in fat and/or sugar.

Other "names" of fat include hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter, margarine, oil (coconut, safflower, palm, etc.), lecithin, lard, and cream solids. Other names of sugars include fructose, honey, corn sweeteners, molasses, maltose, corn syrup, fructose, galactose, glucose, and dextrose.

If "only one" of these names appears among the first few ingredients on the label, or "if several of them are listed throughout the label", this food is likely to be high in fat or sugar.