What Are Clean Labels?

What are clean labels?

"Clean labels are products that contain ingredients that can be easily identified and keep their list of ingredients short."

Cristina Timotei, Marketing Director at InBite

Reading the Back of the Package

Have you ever found that when you go to the grocery, you pick up an item that looks appetizing, and you turn it around to find that you can’t understand half the ingredients? The list of ingredients you don’t recognize is also ridiculously long. Still, you dump the item into your shopping cart because you say to yourself, “I’m not a food expert, what do I know?”

I’m here to tell you that it is not normal to not know the ingredients you're eating. The same way you understand the ingredients when you’re dumping them into a put or an oven, you should also be able to understand them when you’re reading them in a package. 

And it seems like most people don’t see the importance of understanding the ingredients in a label. Sometimes foods like to highlight that they are vegan, gluten-free, have 10-grams of protein… but contain ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. This might seem appealing, and seem like you’re getting the valuable nutrition you need. However, just because a package advertises that it’s vegan or is “all-natural” (a very misused label), doesn’t mean that the product is automatically healthy.

At InBite, we are strong advocates for reading labels. We like to make sure that what you are eating has the proper calories, protein, and nourishment. However, most people look at the numbers, rather than pay close attention to the actual ingredients on the product. Clean labels are products that contain ingredients that can be easily identified and keep their list of ingredients short. A good rule of thumb is if you can’t pronounce the ingredient, it’s probably made in a lab. 

It’s also important to keep in mind that there’s nothing wrong with eating these types of products once in a while. These ingredients are often safe and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, keeping a healthy diet also involves seeking out natural ingredients, and understanding what you’re putting into your body. It’s important to pay more attention to what we eat and don’t let ourselves get swayed by convincing labels and pretty packages. 

The Clean Label Project is an organization dedicated to the safety of the consumer. They give awesome information, news, and resources to make sure what you’re eating is safe, and nutritious.