10 Food Label Lies

Don’t spend extra money buying into marketing hype and misinformation. Look for food claims and labels you can trust.

No added growth hormones

The lie: Usually, you’ll see this claim in ads for chicken, turkey, or even pork, along with milk and beef labels. Why is it misleading? The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t allow farmers to feed hormones to poultry or pork. In fact, if you read the fine print, any poultry or pork product that is advertised as “hormone free” must legally be accompanied by the disclaimer “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.” Producers of those meats use antibiotics instead, which speed growth in the same way as hormones; the USDA calls this “increasing feed efficiency.” Even when you see this label on beef or dairy products—products where hormones are legally allowed—it hasn’t been verified by a third party, so you're really taking the food marketer's word for it.

To get the real thing: Buy certified organic meat and dairy, which are free of both added growth hormones and antibiotics, and organic poultry products. Or, buy from small farmers whom you can ask about how they raise and medicate their animals.