Food Label Transparency in the U.S.

Public Health/Consumer Rights

Food labels in the U.S. should inform, not mislead, but confusing terms and hidden ingredients make it difficult for consumers to make informed choices. While packaging may seem transparent, critical nutritional information is often obscured, leading to unhealthy decisions and misinformation. Deceptive marketing and unclear regulations allow companies to disguise harmful ingredients under unfamiliar names, making it harder to trust what we eat. Nutrition-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the U.S. While diet-related deaths were once due to malnutrition, they now stem from excess. Without transparency, consumers remain unaware of hidden risks in everyday foods, perpetuating a cycle of preventable illness. Informed decisions are a matter of public health, not personal choice. Transparency is a right.