# Reading Food Labels

Part of the Cooking Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/index.md)

*1. Health & Safety*

> **1e.** Discuss with your counselor why reading food labels is important. Explain how to identify common allergens such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, and shellfish.

Food labels are your most powerful tool for protecting yourself and others from allergens, hidden ingredients, and unhealthy choices. Every packaged food sold in the United States is required by law to carry a label — and knowing how to read one is a skill every cook needs.

### Why Food Labels Matter

Labels tell you exactly what is in your food. Without them, you would have no way to know whether a granola bar contains tree nuts, whether a soup has dairy, or how much sugar is hiding in your breakfast cereal. For someone with a food allergy, that information is not just useful — it is life-saving.

Labels also help you:

- **Make healthier choices** by comparing products
- **Plan balanced meals** by checking serving sizes and nutrient content
- **Budget wisely** by understanding what you are actually paying for
- **Follow dietary guidelines** like the MyPlate recommendations you will learn in [Req 2](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req2a/)

### Anatomy of a Food Label

Every food label has two key sections you need to understand:

**1. The Nutrition Facts Panel**

This panel lists calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrients per serving. You will dive deeper into these terms in [Req 2e](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req2e/). For now, the most important thing to note is the **serving size** at the top — everything else on the panel is based on that amount.

**2. The Ingredients List**

Ingredients are listed in order from **most to least** by weight. The first ingredient is what the product contains the most of, and the last ingredient is what it contains the least of. This is where you find allergens and hidden ingredients.

> **Tip**
>
> If sugar (or one of its many names — high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, maltose) appears in the first three ingredients, the product is very high in sugar. This matters for nutrition planning and for Scouts with diabetes.

### Spotting Allergens on Labels

U.S. law requires that the Big Nine allergens be clearly identified on food labels. Manufacturers must do this in one of two ways:

**Method 1 — "Contains" statement:** A bold line near the ingredients list that says something like: **Contains: milk, wheat, soy.**

**Method 2 — Parenthetical in the ingredients list:** The allergen is called out in parentheses after the ingredient name. For example: "casein (milk)" or "lecithin (soy)."

### Hidden Allergen Names

Allergens do not always go by their common names. Here are some tricky ones to watch for:

| Allergen | Also listed as... |
|---|---|
| **Milk** | Casein, whey, lactalbumin, lactose, ghee, curds |
| **Eggs** | Albumin, globulin, lysozyme, mayonnaise, meringue |
| **Wheat** | Durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, farina, couscous |
| **Soy** | Edamame, miso, tempeh, tofu, textured vegetable protein (TVP) |
| **Peanuts** | Groundnuts, arachis oil, monkey nuts |
| **Tree nuts** | Marzipan, nougat, praline, gianduja, nut butters |
| **Shellfish** | Surimi (imitation crab), glucosamine |

> **Did You Know?**
>
> "May contain" warnings (like "manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts") are voluntary — companies are not legally required to include them. If you are cooking for someone with a severe allergy, contact the manufacturer directly if you are unsure about cross-contact risk.

![A Scout holding a food package and examining the Nutrition Facts label and ingredients list closely, with a magnifying glass highlighting the "Contains" allergen statement](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/cooking/guide/reading-food-label?v=3b5f4700)

### Putting Label Reading Into Practice

When you are shopping for a meal — whether it is for your family at home or for your patrol at camp — get into the habit of checking labels before you put anything in the cart.

**Label-Reading Routine** — Do this for every packaged ingredient

- [ ] Check the "Contains" statement for any of the Big Nine allergens.
- [ ] Scan the ingredients list for hidden allergen names (see the table above).
- [ ] Note the serving size — you will need this for nutrition planning.
- [ ] Check for "may contain" or "processed in a facility" warnings if cooking for someone with severe allergies.
- [ ] Compare brands — different manufacturers may use different ingredients for similar products.

> **Safety First!**
>
> If you cannot read the label (it is torn, smudged, or in a language you do not understand), do not use that product when cooking for someone with a food allergy. It is never worth the risk.

### Label Reading at Camp

At camp, label reading becomes even more important because you are cooking for a larger group and may not know everyone's dietary needs as well as you know your family's. Bring a permanent marker to circle allergens on packages so every member of the cooking crew can spot them at a glance.

[FDA — How to Read Food Labels](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label): The FDA's official guide to understanding the Nutrition Facts label, including serving sizes, daily values, and nutrient information.

Video: [10 Rules for Reading a Food Label](https://youtu.be/R-o-83k8dP0?si=67Y3d8V1j407TPAn)

![Scouts at a camp kitchen table checking food packages and marking allergens with a permanent marker, with a posted allergy list visible on a clipboard](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/cooking/guide/camp-label-check?v=524df734)

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- Previous: [Allergies & Food Illness](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req1d/index.md)
- Next: [MyPlate Food Groups](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req2a/index.md)