https://howlane.com/label-reading/How to read food labels and make sense of the numbers.enMon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://howlane.com/label-reading/does-organic-mean-pesticide-free-what-usda-rules-allow/https://howlane.com/label-reading/does-organic-mean-pesticide-free-what-usda-rules-allow/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTNo. USDA organic bans most synthetic pesticides but allows approved ones as a last resort. Food over 5 percent of an EPA tolerance can't be sold as organic.https://howlane.com/label-reading/does-cholesterol-free-mean-low-fat-or-healthy-fda-rule/https://howlane.com/label-reading/does-cholesterol-free-mean-low-fat-or-healthy-fda-rule/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTNo. FDA rules let "cholesterol free" foods have up to 2 g of saturated fat per serving and any amount of total fat, as long as cholesterol is under 2 mg.https://howlane.com/label-reading/calories-on-restaurant-menus-who-must-post-and-how-fda-rules/https://howlane.com/label-reading/calories-on-restaurant-menus-who-must-post-and-how-fda-rules/Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA requires calories on menus at chains with 20 or more locations and on vending machines of operators with 20 or more, with set rounding and ranges.https://howlane.com/label-reading/dual-column-nutrition-facts-labels-per-serving-vs-per-package/https://howlane.com/label-reading/dual-column-nutrition-facts-labels-per-serving-vs-per-package/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA requires two columns when a package holds 200 to 300 percent of the reference amount, and counts packages under 200 percent as one serving.https://howlane.com/label-reading/good-source-vs-high-in-label-claims-explained/https://howlane.com/label-reading/good-source-vs-high-in-label-claims-explained/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA sets "good source" at 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value per serving, "high" at 20 percent or more, and "more" at 10 percent above a reference food.https://howlane.com/label-reading/sugar-free-vs-no-added-sugar-vs-calorie-free-label-rules/https://howlane.com/label-reading/sugar-free-vs-no-added-sugar-vs-calorie-free-label-rules/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA allows "calorie free" under 5 calories, "sugar free" under 0.5 g of sugars, and "no added sugar" only if nothing sugar-based was added in processing.https://howlane.com/label-reading/percent-juice-declaration-on-fruit-drinks-fda-rules/https://howlane.com/label-reading/percent-juice-declaration-on-fruit-drinks-fda-rules/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA requires drinks that suggest juice to state percent juice as a whole number never above the actual amount, with "less than 1 percent" as the floor.https://howlane.com/label-reading/usda-organic-label-categories-explained/https://howlane.com/label-reading/usda-organic-label-categories-explained/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe four USDA organic labeling tiers, the 100, 95, and 70 percent thresholds behind them, who can use the seal, and what organic rules prohibit.https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-calories-are-rounded-on-nutrition-labels/https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-calories-are-rounded-on-nutrition-labels/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe FDA rounding rule for calories, the 4-4-9 method and other ways companies calculate them, sugar alcohol values, and the 20 percent label margin.https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-a-supplement-facts-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-a-supplement-facts-label/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow a Supplement Facts panel differs from Nutrition Facts, what Daily Value not established means, how proprietary blends work, and the FDA disclaimer.https://howlane.com/label-reading/light-vs-low-fat-vs-reduced-fat-label-claims/https://howlane.com/label-reading/light-vs-low-fat-vs-reduced-fat-label-claims/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe FDA definitions behind fat free, low fat, reduced fat, percent fat free, and light, with worked examples, and why light brown sugar is not a claim.https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-bioengineered-means-on-a-food-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-bioengineered-means-on-a-food-label/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow USDA defines bioengineered food, the four ways companies disclose it, which foods are exempt, and what derived from bioengineering means instead.https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-gluten-free-means-on-a-food-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-gluten-free-means-on-a-food-label/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe FDA 20 parts per million rule for gluten-free claims, which grains count, how wheat starch can still qualify, and extra rules for fermented foods.https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-natural-means-on-a-food-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-natural-means-on-a-food-label/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA has no formal rule defining natural on most foods. Here is its long-standing policy, what it leaves out, and how the 2026 color claim change differs.https://howlane.com/label-reading/why-zero-grams-trans-fat-may-not-mean-none/https://howlane.com/label-reading/why-zero-grams-trans-fat-may-not-mean-none/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow FDA rounding lets foods with under 0.5 g of trans fat per serving show 0 g, how servings add up, and where trans fat comes from after the PHO ban.https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-healthy-means-on-a-food-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-healthy-means-on-a-food-label/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow the updated FDA healthy claim works: food group minimums, limits on added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat, and which foods qualify automatically.https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-a-food-ingredient-list/https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-a-food-ingredient-list/Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat federal rules say about ingredient lists: why order matters, the 2 percent rule, how blends and sub-ingredients appear, and what natural flavor means.https://howlane.com/label-reading/low-sodium-reduced-sodium-no-salt-added-meaning/https://howlane.com/label-reading/low-sodium-reduced-sodium-no-salt-added-meaning/Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe federal definitions behind sodium claims, from sodium free to light in sodium, and why reduced sodium or unsalted foods can still be high in sodium.https://howlane.com/label-reading/added-sugars-vs-total-sugars-on-a-nutrition-label/https://howlane.com/label-reading/added-sugars-vs-total-sugars-on-a-nutrition-label/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow the FDA defines added sugars versus total sugars, what the 50 gram Daily Value means, and how to use the percent Daily Value when shopping.https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-the-percent-daily-value-on-food-labels/https://howlane.com/label-reading/how-to-read-the-percent-daily-value-on-food-labels/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat percent Daily Value means on a US Nutrition Facts label, with the FDA's own reference numbers and a worked example comparing two products.https://howlane.com/label-reading/serving-size-traps-on-nutrition-labels/https://howlane.com/label-reading/serving-size-traps-on-nutrition-labels/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFDA serving sizes reflect what people actually eat, not what they should. Ice cream went from half a cup to two-thirds, and added sugars are listed apart.https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-the-faster-act-added-to-food-allergen-labels/https://howlane.com/label-reading/what-the-faster-act-added-to-food-allergen-labels/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA plain explanation of the FASTER Act's sesame labeling rule, the nine major food allergens it covers, and what the label change does not guarantee.