When it comes to understanding product labels, even the savviest
consumer can veer off-track. A degree in molecular biology won’t
help, because many of the worrisome additives and processes
remain undisclosed. Two years ago, before becoming a mother, I
was a picky but confident food shopper. Once my daughter was
born, I began to question the nebulous ingredients in industrial
food. What are “natural flavors”? Does baby formula contain
genetically modified ingredients? The answers jolted me out of
complacency, transforming me into an obsessive label analyst.
While buying organic seems a safe bet, I’ve learned that even
organic products contain secret ingredients, and often you have
to look beyond the label. Here are five offenders. While the
term natural implies something untouched by man, natural flavors
differ little from their artificial cousins. They are both
synthesized in laboratories, often using hexane, a toxic
component of gasoline. The FDA doesn’t require labeling of trace
ingredients, so the sources