The Read · Author
Jesse Meria
Jesse Meria built Label Snob after one too many products that read clean on the front and ugly on the back. He reads the labels so you don't have to.
Founder, Label Snob
jessemeria.com ↗What I write about
The Read is the part of Label Snob that argues with the label. Marketing writes the front of the package; I read the back — the additives, the gluten cross-contact, the seed oils, the food dyes on the FDA phase-out list, the sweetener that's secretly mostly erythritol, and the brands most reviewers won't name. I name them.
- Food additives
- Gluten & celiac
- Seed oils
- Food dyes
- Sweeteners
- Cosmetic ingredients
- Label literacy
How The Read works
Three rules hold every post together. First, every factual claim traces to a primary source — an FDA or EFSA filing, a peer-reviewed study, or the brand's own ingredient list — quoted, not paraphrased. Second, where the science is unsettled, I say so: an association is not a cause, and a contested additive is “under review,” not a verdict. Third, this is ingredient literacy, not medical advice — strong opinions, clearly labeled as opinions, so you can decide on purpose.
Reads by Jesse
AdditivesIs Titanium Dioxide Safe? Why the EU Banned It and the FDA Didn'tThe EU banned titanium dioxide (E171) from food in 2022 under Commission Regulation 2022/63 after EFSA couldn't rule out genotoxicity. The FDA still permits it under 21 CFR 73.575 up to 1% by weight, and the UK kept it. Same data, three calls — here's the honest read.AdditivesYellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1: The Other FDA Dyes Being Phased OutYellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 are three of the six synthetic dyes the FDA asked manufacturers to voluntarily phase out by the end of 2026 — none is banned. Yellow 5 is the only one the FDA forces onto the label by name (21 CFR 74.705); the EU warns on Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 but not Blue 1.AdditivesIs Carrageenan Safe? The 2026 EU vs FDA Split You Need to KnowThe FDA permits carrageenan (E407) as a food additive under 21 CFR 172.620, while EFSA in 2018 cut its ADI to a temporary 75 mg/kg and the EU bars it from infant formula fed from birth. The science splits on degraded vs food-grade. Here's the honest read.AdditivesIs Impossible Meat Vegan? The Heme and the Animal-Testing AsteriskImpossible Burger has no animal ingredients — the "bleeding" heme is soy leghemoglobin, brewed by genetically engineered Pichia pastoris yeast and approved by the FDA as a 2019 color additive. So it's plant-based. The asterisk vegans debate: Impossible fed it to rats during FDA safety testing.AdditivesIs Monk Fruit Healthy? The Erythritol Catch That Changes the AnswerMost retail "monk fruit" sweetener is mostly erythritol, with a sliver of actual monk fruit extract (mogroside V). FDA lists both as GRAS. A 2023 Nature Medicine study tied higher blood erythritol to cardiovascular risk — but as an association, not proof. Here's how to read the label.Gluten-FreeIs Oat Milk Gluten-Free? The Brand-by-Brand Truth (Oatly, Planet Oat, Califia, Elmhurst)Oat milk can be labeled gluten-free in the U.S. if it tests under 20 ppm gluten — but the FDA requires no third-party testing, and 88% of conventional oats are cross-contaminated above that line (Koerner et al., 2011). Here's the brand-by-brand truth on Oatly, Planet Oat, Califia, Elmhurst, and more.Gluten-FreeIs Sourdough Bread Gluten-Free? (No — Here's Exactly How Much Gluten Stays)No — wheat, rye, and spelt sourdough are not gluten-free for celiacs. Fermentation degrades some gluten, but lab tests of artisanal sourdough run from 84 to 104,000 ppm, far above the FDA's 20 ppm limit. Here's the verified science, and the one research line that actually works.AdditivesRed Dye 40 Isn't Banned. Here's What's Actually Happening — and the Full Brand Hit List.Red Dye No. 40 is not banned by the FDA. What's real is an April 2025 HHS/FDA voluntary phase-out targeting six synthetic dyes, two state laws, and a wave of brand commitments running through 2027. Here's the verified timeline and the brands that have actually committed.RestaurantsHow to Order Gluten-Free at Chipotle (Built From Their Own Allergen Sheet)Chipotle names exactly one gluten item on its allergen sheet — the flour tortilla — but its own data also warns the corn chips may carry trace field gluten and cross-contact can happen at the line. Here's how to build a lower-cross-contact order from Chipotle's published guidance, glove-change request and all.AdditivesWhat "Natural Flavors" Actually Mean (And What the Label Legally Leaves Out)"Natural flavor" is a legally defined term — 21 CFR 101.22 says it's a flavoring derived from a plant or animal source. But that single line can stand in for a complex mixture, and the only difference from "artificial flavor" is the source, not safety. Here's what the definition does and doesn't tell you.App ComparisonYuka's Scoring Is 60% Calories. Here's Why That Misses the Point.Yuka's published food method is 60% nutritional quality, 30% additives, 10% organic. The 60% slice is Nutri-Score, which is dominated by energy, sugar, saturated fat and sodium. A fixed formula can't weight your goals — here's the fair read.Gluten-FreeWhy "Naturally Gluten-Free" Oats Are a Label TrickOats contain avenin, a prolamin protein that mobilizes gluten-like T-cell responses in about 8% of celiac patients (Hardy et al., Journal of Autoimmunity, 2015) — even when the oats are certified gluten-free. Here's what the label leaves out.
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