Shall we put a label on this?

What is high fructose corn syrup? Is red dye good? Dieticians and nutritionists break down the confusing stuff we see on food labels

- Christalle Fernandes

It's like a magic trick. The nutrition label on processed, packaged food - everything from sliced bread to protein bars and energy drinks - is designed to conceal as much as it reveals. On the front of the packet, everything seems healthy. But flip to the back, and the ingredients seem like they came from a chem lab, not a kitchen. Don't be taken in by the names and numbers. Experts are here to help.

Read between the lines.

"Watch out for 'Yes' claims and 'No' claims," says Yash Parashar, founder of food brand Mama Nourish. "Some products state that they include good ingredients, while others say they don't contain harmful ingredients. It's what leads us to view a product as healthy or unhealthy." Ingredients are typically listed in descending order of their proportion. If hydrogenated palm oils, sugars, salts, and refined flour show up in the first four, it's hardly reassuring. “If the list of ingredients has scientific-sounding names rather than familiar foods, avoid it," says Dr Shuchi Sharma, chief dietician at Sahyadri Hospital, Pune.

Look for sweet scams.