You want to make healthy decisions, right? Right. So of course you survey food labels in an earnest attempt at making good choices when you go to the supermarket. And then you might end up scratching your head in bewilderment as you attempt to figure out what words like “all natural” or “no hormones added” really mean. If that sums you up, you’re not alone. A recent study suggests that labels are packed with buzzwords and, unsurprisingly, all of the jargon ends up confusing the heck out of all of us. Many times, they’re empty terms that don’t mean much (or anything at all). To clear up the confusion, we put this handy list together …

All natural

There’s no concrete definition provided by the FDA. However, the FDA suggests that “all natural” foods be void of artificial flavors ingredients. So, in other words, an all-natural product should be all natural … but it doesn’t really have to be.

No Hormones Added or Raised Without Hormones

You see this a lot on poultry packages and it’s not on there without reason. You see, artificial or added hormones aren’t cleared for consumption in the United States when it comes to poultry production. So, by law all poultry is hormone-free or raised without hormones.

Farm Fresh

Farm fresh essentially means … nothing, according to 2014 report on npr.org. It’s meant for consumers to believe their eggs are super fresh, but it’s actually an empty term.

Gluten-free

Gluten is a protein found in grains (wheat, rye, etc.), so stripping the product of gluten simply means taking out that protein. Will that affect you? If you’re part of the one percent of the population that suffers from celiac disease — aka gluten intolerance — yes, it will. Otherwise, probably not.

USDA Organic and Certified Organic

Between 95-100 percent of the food’s ingredients are free of additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes. As for what makes up the remaining five percent, your guess is as good as ours.

Organic

It’s not the same as certified organic; it means the food contains 70 percent organic ingredients. Again, as for what makes up the remaining 30 percent, your guess is as good as ours.

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