Do you think a product, with 0g trans fats is really "zero" trans fat? Don't be too pleased yet. Any product which has less than 0.5g per serving can be labeled as 0g trans fats.
I would love to know your views. How often do you read food labels - Always, Never, or just Sometimes (when you feel like it); and what will you embrace or avoid in food labels?
I just used the spinach here.
Tag: vegetables, sausage, food labels
I always read food labels before I buy unless it's veg then it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteI know supermarkets are not always honest in labelling as they don't want to lose health-concious shoppers. Do you know that a juice can be labelled fruit juice with only 10% real fruit juice in it.
Mind you, most things I buy in Chinese supermarkets don't have proper labels on them so I try not to get too obsessed about reading labels. I think as long as you eat healthily it should be fine :D
I only sometimes read the labels. Most of the time don't. :) Just grab and put everything in the trolley.
ReplyDeleteI always read food labels especially for butter and cooking oil. As for other stuff... even though they say low in fat, but got to check the sugar content.
ReplyDeleteSeldom... Only focus on the expiry date! Ha.
ReplyDeleteI seldom read food labels even if they are not written in Chingrish. But then, that's because I seldom shop for groceries.
ReplyDeletehedgehog, I agree. Some of the canned goods in Chinese supermarket don't even have expiry dates on them !:O
ReplyDeleteECL, I don't do it always too, reading the labels. I mean.
ReplyDeleteI'm worse. Sometimes, I know it's not very good but I still put in the trolley!?!?!
Lydia, and also the sodium content! That day I was looking at some canned organic tomatoes and got a shocked from the super-high sodium content.
omnivore, hahaha...that's something I look out for too!
ReplyDeletevictor, in Singapore, I think it's more straight-forward in terms of food products. Here they have organic this, natural that, low-sodium this, sugar-free that!
For example, I never allow myself to buy sugar-free products coz manufacturers usually end up adding in some artificial sweeteners that in fact taste horrible and artificial. Yucks!
Yep, I read food labels and do my best to stay away from items that has stuff like High Fructose Corn Syrup or Enriched Flour as the first 5 ingredients.
ReplyDeletesimcooks, good girl! :D
ReplyDeleteI also try my best to stay away, but may be difficult just sometimes.
I have to read labels on everything. I'm a personal chef for a family friend whose little 4 yr old girl has an incurable brain cancer. After radiation and chemo, the cancer came back and spread. So now the only hope is a diet of no-gluten, no-sugar, no-soy and all organic will keep her alive for a few more months. So far, her counts have been good and she has more energy.
ReplyDeleteSince I've been cooking for them, I've also been more mindful of what I feed my family.
So what if the organic chicken is $2 more a pound - its healthier and more nourishing for my children.
Oh yes, steamykitchen, when it comes to a restrictive diet, it's best to be careful on those labels.
ReplyDeleteHope the girl becomes stronger everyday.
For curiosity, would want to have comments from Tigerfish and fellow visitors on the following:
ReplyDeleteUsually when i shop at supermart (say, if i buy a packet of drink, etc), i have the tendency to pick the packet which is placed behind the 1st packet at the front. Sometimes may even go for the 3rd, 4th, 5th... packet as long as my hands can reach it. The "reason" for this is that got an impression that the first one may have a nearer expiry date or dropped from the shelf before, etc...
Is wondering how many of you also have such picky behaviour? hee.
So if you pick from the back, does it have a better expiry date ? I do the same too...eg. milk...and the ones at the back, almost without fail, have the better expiry...:D
ReplyDeletePick from the back is the 1st "criteria"...next will be a "QC" on the expiry date la, the overall packaging la, etc...
ReplyDeleteThink worse than an auntie...;p
I pick from the back when I'm buying meats, dairy and frozen foods - because its been sitting in colder temperatures.
ReplyDeleteI pick from back on other stuff because less hands have been on the packaging, the better. Some people who shop at grocery stores are so gross, some are sick, some are just plain dirty.
I only really pay attention if it's too many preservatives. But I try to buy whole products as much as possible, as compared to low-fat or low-whatever since more stuff is added to make it "low."
ReplyDeleteominvore, don't underestimate the power of the auntie ok...auntie gets real bargains...buahahahha.
ReplyDeletesteamykitchen, yes, yes, that's part of the reason why I pick dairies and meat from the back too :D
ReplyDeleteBut if all of us pick from the back, then the food packages are going to get "touched" by many pple as well :O
wandering chopsticks, I agree with you on the "low" whatever stuff, then it becomes "high" on others.
i read the labels when i can't decide which one to pick.
ReplyDeleteyes yes! got the habit of picking from behind! but usually milk or fruit juice, the front ones, you look at the date, it's less than 1 week to expiry, how to finish??
i will then pick the ones behind, which expiry date will be like 3 weeks away!
keropok man, so you also another one lah! ;p ...who picks from behind...hahah! Stop taking from behind or there're none left for me :O
ReplyDeleteMay be in order to "curb" this kind of picky behaviour, someone can invent a sort of shelf which is like a vending machine. Say, if u buying a packet of milk, u will need to press a button and one packet will be dropped gently and u can then pick it up. ;p
ReplyDeleteomnivore, think got already...but just not popular because pple still like to pick from behind. This is their behavior.
ReplyDeleteWould you like to shop in a vending machine? Cannot touch, cannot feel, just buy? ;p
I look at the sodium content, trans fat content, and if it has high fructose corn syrup. I don't buy juice that isn't 100% juice or juice with added sugar. I don't buy soda and some other things because high fructose corn syrup is evil. On the flip side, I tend not to buy fat free or sugar free stuff. Artificial sweeteners are blech. The expiration date is important too. :p Oh and I also pick from the back. :D
ReplyDeleteAmyAlmost everything has a sodium content here and it's scary, some are SO SO HIGH!
ReplyDeleteToday when I was just stretching for that pack of heavy whipping cream at the back, I thought about all of ya :D
Not that bad la, at least u din dream of us (suddenly we become the packets of whipping cream) "resting" on the shelf, one behind the other and u trying to stretch for one of us at the back. ;>
ReplyDeleteomnivore, you so imaginative hor! You grad from night safari liow arh? ;p
ReplyDeleteHow i wish i have left night safari already...but not yet. The Mgmt of night safari din open the gate yet. ***sob sob***
ReplyDeleteomnivore, soon soon, you will be out! and raring to do :D
ReplyDeletedon't worry! I think you will miss special projects the most....buahahahahah!