Food labelling: front of pack

Food labelling continued...

Fresh, pure, natural etc
Good or bad?: Mostly meaningless
What it means: The Food Standards Authority has found that guidelines issued previously are being ignored and claims are often misleading.

Light,lite
Good or bad?:Meaningless
What it means: The law does not define these terms. Gives the impression that the product, such as crisps or biscuits, is lower in calories but if compared to a non-light product from another manufacturer could easily be just as calorific. Always compare values per 100g.

'Flavour' for instance Strawberry flavour
Good or bad?: Bad
What it means: Artifical flavourings are cheap and synthetic and are just labelled 'flavouring'. If a package says 'natural flavouring' it must not be synthetic, but the flavouring may be nothing to do with the flavour you think you are buying (and could, for instance, come from wood chips or animal carcasses). If a food says, for instance, strawberry flavour then the flavour must come from the strawberry but it can so highly processed that no food goodness, such as vitamins, are still in the food.
Red Tractor, and other Assured Food Standards

Good or bad?: Could be good, but often of questionable value.
What it means: Means that the food is produced to a standard set by a body of food producers, monitored by the FSA, but while comforting, the consumer may attribute meaning that isn't there. For instance a consumer might think it means better animal welfare while battery techniques are still used, or that pesticides are not used when they are.

Barn laid, farm fresh, free range
Good or bad: Displayed on egg boxes and often not what the consumer thinks.
What it means?: Farm fresh means nothing. Barn laid means birds are not caged but density levels are still extremely high - around 100 hens on the size of a double bed - and they still cooped up their whole lives. Free range can mean just the same as barn laid but with the doors thrown open for a while during the day, but chickens do not stray very far. The highest welfare standards are for organic reared birds.

Organic
Good or bad?: Good, it is a strictly controlled system of food production.
What it means: Even if a consumer is not a supporter of organic food in principle, at least they can find out exactly what is meant by organic food production, and what is not, as the description is governed by strict criteria. Organic labelling must carry a number attributed to the particular certification body (such as the Soil Association).

Vegetarian
Good or bad?: Good as it is a strictly controlled set of criteria.
What it means:Does not have to be approved by the Vegetarian society to be vegetarian but if it is the product will carry their logo. The product must have no ingredients of animal origin, apart from vegetarian dairy products, to make this claim.