How Food Labels Can Be Misleading

September 05, 2025

University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children'sExperts in Children's Health

A shopper compares the nutrition labels of various boxes of cereal

Following your doctor’s or dietitian’s advice to eat healthier should be pretty straightforward, but if you’re trusting what the food labels at the supermarket say, making healthy choices might be harder than you think.

“Labels alone don’t necessarily tell us the whole story,” says Becky Levin, MS, RDN, LD, a clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s. She shares how to make sense of marketing messages and different health claims when shopping for your family.

Health Claims on Food Labels

“It’s important to understand that certain food label claims are regulated and standardized, and others are not,” says Levin. Regulated claims are helpful because they offer information that can steer you toward healthier choices.

Food label claims that are regulated by the FDA include:

Health claims: These tell you if a food can help reduce the risk of a certain health-related condition based on scientific evidence. For example, the claim might say: “adequate calcium throughout life may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.” And if the label claims the food is “healthy,” it means the food meets a specific set of health criteria outlined by the federal government and its dietary guidelines for Americans.
Nutrient claims: These may include words like “free,” “high,” “low,” “more,” “reduced” or “good source of” a certain nutrient. But nutrient claims are not standardized for all nutrients. “For example, low is only standardized for cholesterol, calories, sodium, sugar and fat content,” says Levin. “When a food states it’s a good source of something, it means it meets 10 percent or more of the daily value for that particular nutrient.”

A lot of the confusion around food labeling occurs with claims that are not regulated, since they’re applied to foods and drinks in inconsistent ways and they’re designed to make you think one product is healthier for you than another, when it may not be.

Misleading Food Labels

The descriptive words and phrases on food packaging are meant to grab your attention. In many cases, they’re crafted to make you think you’re getting some kind of health benefit. Levin says these are four of the biggest offenders:

Sugar-free: Even though this is an FDA-regulated claim that can be used on food labels, it can be a confusing one. On its own, “sugar-free” doesn’t reveal the overall nutritional quality of a product, says Levin. It only means there are less than 0.5 grams of sugar (natural and/or added sugar) per serving. Seeing “sugar-free” on a label might make you automatically think the food is healthy or low in calories, or that another food with more than 0.5 grams of sugar is unhealthy, even if none of these are true.
“Some foods, like fruit or plain Greek yogurt, have more than 0.5 grams of naturally occurring sugars, but these are very nutritious foods to include in your diet,” she says. It’s important to also pay attention to the amounts of total sugars and added sugars that appear on the label. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons for men.
Multigrain: There is also a lot of confusion around the term “multigrain,” she says. It sounds healthy, as if the food is packed with multiple whole grains. But it simply means that the product contains more than one grain. Those grains are likely to be refined grains, which are not as healthy as whole grains, like whole wheat, oats or barley. Check to see if the product has any whole grains among the first few ingredients listed.
Also watch out for “made with whole grains,” since it may be a negligible amount, unless they appear at the top of the ingredients list or the packaging says “100 percent whole grain.”
Enriched wheat flour: It may seem like this means the flour is made from whole wheat. But Levin says, “if the ingredients list says enriched wheat flour, you are not buying a whole wheat product.” To help ensure you’re actually getting whole wheat, look for the phrase “100% whole wheat” on the packaging or ingredients list.
Low fat: This is another FDA-regulated claim that gives you some information, but not the whole nutritional picture. “Low-fat foods are often higher in sugar to make up for flavor and texture,” says Levin. “A low-fat version doesn’t automatically make it a healthy product.” She points out that some snacks claim they have less fat than potato chips, but they actually have more salt or other additives. “There are also foods that are higher in unsaturated fats that wouldn’t meet the low-fat criteria, but are still very nutritious choices.”

Tips for Decoding Food Labels

When people are trying to make healthier food choices, it’s difficult to say what information is the most important for them to look for on nutrition labels. “This is so individualized for everyone depending on age, goals and health,” says Levin. But there is some general advice that she thinks is helpful to follow.

Don’t focus on the front of the food package. The front is where most of the marketing messages will be, and those are the claims most likely to mislead you. “Something as simple as a picture of a fruit or vegetable on a food label can also make people think a product is healthy, even if there is very little of that ingredient in the product,” says Levin.
Turn the product over and read the back label. “In general, looking at the nutrition facts panel and the ingredient list is the most helpful when trying to make healthier choices,” Levin says. She also says scanning the label for fiber content, type of fat and added sugar can be more helpful than putting too much stock in the claims alone.
Eat a variety of healthy foods throughout the day. Getting a mix of nutrients is always helpful when trying to eat healthier, says Levin. It helps ensure your meals are balanced and reduces the risk of nutrition deficiencies.
Seek out whole grains. “I’m a big fan of trying to choose whole grain ingredients,” says Levin. If you choose products made with whole wheat flour rather than enriched flour, you benefit from more fiber.
Pay attention to servings and portion sizes. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar products from different brands. “A portion size is how much you choose to eat of a particular food,” explains Levin. “Sometimes that is more than a serving, sometimes that is less.”

“If you have specific nutrition goals, you should talk with your healthcare team and dietitian,” says Levin. They can help you better understand what to look for on food labels and how to shop smarter. A dietitian can also help you understand what portion sizes are appropriate, as well as what you or your child’s daily calorie needs are.