The Worst Packaged Food Lies

If you want some insight into the food industry, take a stroll through your grocery store’s candy aisle. There, on the labels of such products as Mike and Ike and Good & Plenty, you’ll find what perhaps is a surprising claim: “Fat free.” However, it’s completely true—these empty-calorie junk foods are almost 100 percent sugar and processed carbs.

You see, food manufacturers think you’re stupid. In fact, their marketing strategies rely on it. For instance, it may be that the aforementioned candy makers are hoping you’ll equate “fat free” with “healthy” or “non-fattening”—so that you forget about all the sugar these products contain. It’s a classic bait-and-switch.

And the candy aisle is just the start. That’s why Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide has scoured the supermarket to crack the packaged food labeling code—so now you can make sure you get exactly what you’re paying for. Never be fooled by misleading labels again!

The Organic Junk Food

Kraft Original Macaroni & Cheese

The claim: "USDA organic"

The truth: It’s organic, so it must be healthy, right? Not so much. For an extra 60 cents per box, consumers save 20 calories and 1 gram of fat. They also gain 2 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber, and 50 milligrams of sodium, and they lose 6 percent of their daily iron. The point is, even organic junk food is still junk food. Your body processes organic refined flour and powdered cheese the same way it does the conventional kind, so at the end of the day it’s still a high-calorie, low-nutrient letdown.

What you really want: If you must have mac, pick one with a label that reads like the recipe you’d use to fix it at home. Annie’s line of macaroni and cheese contains about 8 ingredients per box and cuts the fat by 72 percent over Kraft Organic. And to learn more about whether you should splurge or save when it comes to organic, check out "The Truth About Organic Food." In this economy, it’s important to know that you’re spending your money wisely. Sometimes, like in the case of this Organic Kraft Mac & Cheese, choosing the organic route may not always be the best use of your hard-earned cash.

The Fat Fake-Out

Smucker’s Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter

The claim: “25 percent less fat than regular natural peanut butter”

The truth: Smucker’s has indeed removed some of the fat from the peanut butter, but they’ve replaced it with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate used as a cheap filler in many processed foods. This means you’re trading the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, and a savings of a meager 10 calories.

What you really want: The real stuff: no oils, fillers, or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt. Smucker’s Natural fits the bill, as do many other peanut butters out there.

The Hidden Trans-Fats

Cheetos Crunchy

The claim: “Zero gram trans fats”

The truth: FDA allows manufacturers to make this claim when their products contain less than 0.5 gram of trans fats per serving. It may seem insignificant, but 0.49 gram of this nefarious fat can add up quickly.

What you really want: Keep total trans-fat intake to no more than 1 percent of total calories—about 2.5 grams per day for most adults. That means reading the ingredients list (especially those that proclaim to be trans fat-free), and looking for “partially hydrogenated,” “shortening,” or “interesterified.” For a trans-fat cheat sheet, be sure to avoid any of the items on our list of the 10 trans-fattiest supermarket foods.