Label reading – do your homework and start small

Label reading is often a fine print exercise. Have you ever squinted to try and decipher the tiny type used in many ingredient labels?

Not easy in the bright lights of a big supermarket, with our attention being demanded by an array of other factors – including children.

The Chemical Maze Family of Apps have a new feature – using the camera function on the phone you can actually magnify the ingredients label on screen and read that tiny print with ease.

And label reading gets easier as you go.

Known suspects stand out when you know what you are looking for. I also spend time at home reading labels and checking existing items in my pantry. This helped me isolate products that I felt comfortable to repurchase (because they contained ingredients I was comfortable with) and those that I didn’t, especially those ingredients linked to food intolerances.

Shopping is simplified when you know which foods fit your families needs. Bypass slick marketing, fancy packaging and false claims – start label reading with a few products today.

If you found this article valuable, you can download the Chemical Maze App to your iPhone now.

Have easy-to-use information on thousands of potentially harmful ingredients at your fingertips.

Lindy Schneider is a writer and researcher with a keen interest in health, wellbeing and natural childcare. She is an advocator of a chemical-free lifestyle in the best interests of her family, the community and a sustainable world. She lives in the Yarra Valley with her partner and two young children.