product label meaning

There are lots of labels on every product in a grocery store—fat, sugar, calories, low-sugar, low-carb, glycemic index. How do you decipher some of them in order to know what you’re getting?

Every label tells you something about how animals were raised or how crops were grown. It can also tell you a little bit about the regulation related to that label—whether it’s government or self-regulation, for example. There are also processes that the label can key you in on—for example, if antibiotics or growth hormones were used. Other labels may also tell you about the human element involved in your food—whether workers and farmers receive fair wages or fair prices.

For example, grain fed on a label only suggests that animals are fed a diet of grain—but it isn’t a guarantee. Grass fed, on the other hand, indicates that animals have natural grass or forage—but they may not be raised in pastures.

This graphic breaks down all of those labels for you, proving a helpful guide as you do shopping for your family, your health, and the earth.