A lot of people will be purchasing a lot of food over the next several days in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, and Chattooga County Extension Agent Rebecca Thomas says that while it is always a good idea to check out food labels to see what your food has in it – food labeling can be confusing – and sometimes downright misleading.

Thomas points out that when orange juice says it’s non-GMO, please recognize that all oranges are non-GMO. The only potential GMO products in the USA are papaya, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, cotton, potatoes, squash, canola, sugar beets, and apples.
When organic milk is labeled antibiotic free, remember that all dairy products, including milk, are always antibiotic free. Same applies to meat.
Those bananas advertised as cholesterol free? That’s because all bananas are cholesterol free.
When a jar of peanuts says it is made in a plant that processes peanuts just use your common sense and roll your eyes.
When a bag of apples says it is gluten free, remember that gluten comes from wheat.
County Extension Agent Rebecca Thomas added, ” When you see a Facebook post that talks about hormones in beef, please understand that an 8oz serving of beef has 2-3 nanograms of estrogen, an 8 oz serving of white bread has 136,080 nanograms of estrogen, and 8 ounces of soy flour has 342,468,000 nanograms of estrogen. All living things produce estrogen, it’s just science.
When that carton of eggs says that they came from vegetarian fed chickens, don’t forget that chickens are naturally omnivores. So yes, eat healthy, but don’t be swayed by deceptive advertising. Be informed.”