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10 Common Food Labels And What They Mean

10 Common Food Labels And What They Mean

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Have you ever bought an item of food with so many labels on it, you don’t know if you just bought something certifiably healthy or certifiably scary? Companies slap information on our products that we didn’t know we need to know. Here are the 10  most common food labels, broken down.

thedailymeal.com
thedailymeal.com

Biodynamic
If you see the biodynamic label on your food, that means a third party has certified that the produce was grown using biodynamic principals, meaning an ethical, ecological approach to agriculture. Farmers of these products strive to create balanced, “authentic” ecosystems on their land so they don’t mess with the natural habits of the land.

zesterdaily.com
zesterdaily.com

Certified Humane
This label indicates that the meat you are buying comes from animals that have been treated in a humane manner. In order for a meat product to earn the label, animals have to be raised without any growth hormones on diets free of antibiotics.

crumblycookie.net
crumblycookie.net

Fresh Poultry
You know the word “fresh” is a good thing, but many food manufacturers and restaurants throw the term around loosely. Here’s what it means: fresh poultry is poultry from a carcass that has never been frozen or reduced to an internal temperature below 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

weightymatters.ca
weightymatters.ca

Health check symbol
You’ll often see this symbol on cereal and other bread products, indicating a certified heart-healthy food. The symbol was created and is doled out by the American Heart Association. Food manufacturers who meet AHA guidelines and go through a certification process may put the symbol on their items.

nymetropolista.com
nymetropolista.com

Kosher
You may already have general information on what kosher means. In order for a food to receive the kosher label, it must be prepared under the supervision of a rabbi. The rules are detailed, from the exact way an animal is killed and taken apart, to certain animals that must not be consumed, to what sort of animals dairy comes from, to which food groups cannot be consumed or even prepared together.

gladrags.com
gladrags.com

Leaping bunny
You’ll see this symbol in the grocery store, but in the cosmetics isle. The leaping bunny label is used on cosmetics to show that they have not been tested on animals. This label is granted by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.

predator-friendly-ranching.blogspot.com
predator-friendly-ranching.blogspot.com

Predator friendly
Food producers that are certified predator friendly are not only wary of how they treat their cattle and livestock, but also the predators that may attack them. They commit to not allowing any lethal control (shooting, trapping, poisoning) to protect their animals from predators.

greenhealingnow.com
greenhealingnow.com

Salmon Safe
Salmon Safe is a nonprofit in the Pacific Northwest that works to recognize fish farms or facilities that protect the quality of the water where they retrieve their fish, and restore the habitat.

prudentpress.com
prudentpress.com

Fair Trade
You probably hear this label often when talking about coffee. It is mostly applied to imported agricultural products to show that they meet strict labor and sustainability standards. If a product has the label, it means the farmers and workers involved in creating the product are fairly compensated for their work.

fitsugar.com
fitsugar.com

Cage Free
The cage free symbol indicates that the poultry is not kept in a battery cage—cages that usually only have 67 square inches of room, so birds cannot spread their wings, perch or nest. A product can, however, still get the label even if their birds are housed in cramped hen houses without access to outdoors. For the most humane product, look for the free range label: this means the birds have access to the outdoors.