Getting started
Reading food labels
The package tells you what is in the food, how much of it counts as a serving, and when it will taste best. But only if you know how to read what it says.
The basics
Three things every package tells you
Packaged foods sold in the United States carry three types of information that matter for household decisions. The Nutrition Facts panel tells you what is in the food and how much of it counts as one serving. The ingredient list tells you what the food is made from, in order. And the date label, if there is one, tells you about quality, not safety, with one exception you should know about.
Nutrition Facts
What is in the food and how much per serving
Ingredient list
What the food is made from, by weight
Date label
When the product is at its best quality
The panel
Reading the Nutrition Facts
The Nutrition Facts panel is required by the FDA on most packaged foods and beverages sold in the United States.[1] It was updated in 2016 to make key information easier to find. Here is how to read it from top to bottom.
Serving size and servings per container
Start here. Every number on the panel is based on one serving. The serving size reflects what people typically eat, not what they should eat.[1] If a bag of chips lists 8 servings and you eat the whole bag, you consumed eight times every number on the label.
This is the most common misread on the panel: treating the numbers as if they apply to the whole package when they apply to one serving.
Calories
The number of calories in one serving. Displayed in large, bold type on the updated label. This number tells you how much energy the food provides per serving, which is useful for comparing two products side by side.
Percent Daily Value (%DV)
The right-hand column shows how much of a nutrient one serving contributes to a total daily diet based on 2,000 calories per day. The FDA offers a general guide: 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low; 20% DV or more is considered high.[1]
This makes comparison simple. If you are trying to eat less sodium, look for products with a lower %DV for sodium. If you want more fiber, look for a higher %DV for dietary fiber.
Nutrients to watch
The updated label requires disclosure of these nutrients:
Generally limit
- Saturated fat
- Trans fat
- Sodium
- Added sugars
Generally get enough of
- Dietary fiber
- Vitamin D
- Calcium
- Iron
- Potassium
Added sugars
The 2016 update added a separate line for added sugars under total sugars. This distinguishes sugars naturally present in the food (like lactose in milk or fructose in fruit) from sugars added during manufacturing. A yogurt with 12g total sugars and 2g added sugars is different from one with 12g total and 10g added.[2]
What it is made from
The ingredient list
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first ingredient is what the product contains the most of, by weight. The last ingredient is what it contains the least of.
This is straightforward but easy to overlook. A fruit juice whose first ingredient is water and second is high fructose corn syrup is not primarily fruit juice, regardless of what the front of the package says. A bread whose first ingredient is "enriched wheat flour" is white bread, even if the package is brown and says "wheat bread."
What to look for
Short lists with recognizable ingredients generally mean less processing. This is not a universal rule, but it is a useful starting point.
Multiple forms of sugar (sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, honey, cane juice) appearing separately in the list may each rank low individually while collectively being a major ingredient.
The first three ingredients tell you the most about what the product really is. Everything after that is usually present in smaller quantities.
"Whole grain" versus "enriched" matters. Whole grain retains the bran and germ. Enriched flour has been refined and some nutrients added back. Both are fine food; they are not the same food.
Dates on the package
What date labels actually mean
Date labels are the single most misunderstood part of a food package. USDA estimates that 30 percent of the food supply is lost or wasted at the retail and consumer levels, and confusion about date labels is one reason why.[3]
With one exception, none of these dates are safety dates. They describe quality.
"Best if Used By"
Indicates when the product will be at its best quality. USDA FSIS recommends this as the standard phrase for all food manufacturers because research shows it is the most clearly understood by consumers as a quality indicator, not a safety cutoff.[3] The food may still be wholesome after this date if properly stored.
"Sell-By"
Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. It is an inventory management date for the retailer, not a safety date for you.[3] Buying a product on its Sell-By date does not mean it needs to be consumed that day.
"Use-By"
The last date recommended for peak quality. Not a safety date, with one critical exception: the Use-By date on infant formula is a safety date required by the FDA. For infant formula, do not buy or use the product after this date.[3]
"Freeze-By"
Indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. Not a purchase or safety date.[3]
The infant formula exception
Infant formula is the only product where federal regulations require a Use-By date as a safety date. The FDA requires this because the nutrient content of formula may degrade after the date, and infants depend on formula as their sole nutrition source. For all other food products, date labels describe quality, not safety.[3]
Except for infant formula, product dating is not required by federal regulations. Manufacturers apply dates voluntarily. The fact that there is no uniform system is exactly why the dates cause so much confusion and so much wasted food.
Allergen information
The nine major allergens
Federal law requires food labels to clearly identify whether a product contains any of nine major allergens. These must be declared either in the ingredient list or in a separate "Contains" statement immediately after it.[4]
Milk
Eggs
Fish
Shellfish
Tree nuts
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Sesame
Sesame was added as the ninth major allergen in 2023 under the FASTER Act. If someone in the household has a food allergy, the "Contains" statement is the fastest place to check. It is located immediately below or adjacent to the ingredient list.
"May contain" or "processed in a facility that also processes" statements are voluntary, not required by law. They indicate potential cross-contact during manufacturing, not the confirmed presence of an allergen. For households managing a serious allergy, these advisory statements still matter. Discuss them with a healthcare provider.
What goes wrong
Common mistakes
Reading the numbers as whole-package amounts
A container lists 150 calories per serving with 4 servings. If you eat the whole container, you consumed 600 calories, not 150. Always check servings per container first.
Throwing away food because the date passed
With the sole exception of infant formula, date labels describe quality, not safety. A can of soup past its Best if Used By date is not dangerous. Evaluate the food for off odors, flavors, or textures before discarding it.
Trusting the front of the package
Marketing language on the front ("natural," "wholesome," "made with real fruit") is not regulated the same way as the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list. Turn the package over.
Ignoring the ingredient order
A granola bar whose first two ingredients are sugar and corn syrup is a candy bar in a granola wrapper. The ingredient list does not lie about what the product is.
Confusing total sugars with added sugars
Plain milk has about 12 grams of natural lactose sugar. That is not the same as 12 grams of sugar added during manufacturing. The added sugars line tells you how much was put in, not how much was already there.
Where this leads
From the label to the kitchen
Understanding labels makes you a better shopper. These guides make you a better cook.
Food safety
The temperatures, handling rules, and time limits that keep food safe at home, including what to do during a power outage.
Food safety guide →
FIFO rotation
First in, first out. The system that keeps your pantry from accumulating expired food in the back of the shelf.
Rotation guide →
Getting started with food
The starting point for food self-reliance, from building a working pantry to understanding what to store and why.
Getting started →