If Food Labels Were Honest

- Written by Crystal Schlegelmilch on January 15th 2015

spoonacular is important to us because food is important to us. Not just because we enjoy cooking (and eating, of course), but because we understand that nutritious food is crucial to good health. The biggest players in the food industry, however, seem to think food is purely about profit, and you don't have to search for long to find numerous examples of how major food companies use deceptive language to market their products as "healthy" and "natural" (whatever those terms mean to them) without any regard to whether these products really fulfill the criteria most consumers would expect from "healthy" and "natural" products.

We hope sharing the comic above will help raise awareness about the importance of knowing what is really in your food. Many additives—even ones called "natural"—can be sourced from places you probably wouldn't expect. This doesn't make them harmful (even if it is a little gross), but it does show that consumers need to educate themselves about their food, including what it contains, where it comes from, and what's not necessarily labeled on the package (pesticide residue, anyone?)

All that said, please share this comic across social media (you can use the buttons in the upper right) and pin it on Pinterest. Spread the word, vote with your dollar, and let's work together to win this food fight!

P.S. We are working on some exciting new features to help you decipher food labels and find the healthiest products in stores. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and stay spooned.