Reading labels
What a package is allowed to tell you: dates, allergens, sodium claims, SPF words, the Drug Facts order and the Supplement Facts panel.
Reading Labels
9 guides filed under this heading
- What each sodium claim on a US food label is allowed to mean
Sodium-free, low sodium, reduced sodium, lightly salted: each phrase is defined by federal rule, with a number behind it. The thresholds, and the traps.
6 min read - The Drug Facts panel: what it must tell you, in what order, and what it cannot
Same sections, same order, on every OTC drug panel — because the order is the regulation. What each heading must contain, and what it cannot tell you.
10 min read - How to read a food allergy label: the nine allergens you must see
U.S. law requires the nine major allergens to be stated in plain language on packaged food. Here is what the label must say, and what 'may contain' means.
2 min read - Duplicate ingredients in OTC drugs: the acetaminophen box warning
Duplicate acetaminophen is the one OTC risk the rule manages with a prohibition rather than a number — and that prohibition reaches prescription drugs too.
7 min read - The expiration date is a potency guarantee, not a safety date
The date on the bottle is a tested guarantee of strength, quality and purity at the time of use — and the rule behind it says nothing about what comes after.
8 min read - Broad Spectrum, SPF, Water Resistant: what the words on a sunscreen bottle are allowed to promise
Three sunscreen terms — Broad Spectrum, the SPF number, Water Resistant — are a regulatory ladder, not marketing. What each legally entitles a product to claim.
5 min read - How to Read the Nutrition Facts Label Without Memorizing Numbers
Serving size, calories, the nutrients to limit, the ones to get enough of, and % Daily Value — the five parts of the label that decide what you buy.
4 min read - The Supplement Facts panel: what it must disclose, and the one figure it may combine
A supplement label is a disclosure document, not a safety review: what the panel must show, what a blend may leave out, and why the disclaimer is load-bearing.
14 min read - "Best by" vs. "use by" vs. "sell by": what food date labels actually mean
Except for infant formula, federal law does not require date labels on food. What each date means, and which are quality dates, not safety dates.
5 min read updated October 21, 2026
Food Policy
1 guide filed under this heading
- The FDA has rewritten 80 food standards so salt substitutes can be used
From December 14, 2026, standardized foods such as bread, cheese and canned vegetables may use salt substitutes. What the rule does not require.
8 min read
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