Deciphering a food label without 5 years of chemistry

When faced with a food label, many of us feel a certain confusion. Between legal mentions, mysterious ingredients and marketing promises, it's not always easy to find your way around.

Yet knowing how to read a food label is essential to eating better and making informed choices.

Here's our complete guide to simplifying your life and taking back the power over your diet.

1. What Swiss law says about food labels

Before talking about additives or marketing, let's start with the legal framework. In Switzerland, the information you find on a food label is not there by chance: it is regulated by law. The purpose of this mandatory information is to guarantee transparency, consumer safety and prevent fraud.

Here's what every packaged food product must include:

• Product name: this must be precise and correspond to the nature of the food. For example, "tomato sauce with Basil" implies that Basil is present in sufficient quantity.
• Ingredient list: all ingredients must be listed in descending order according to their weight in the product. If a food starts with "water, sugar, tomato paste", this means that the sugar is more present than the tomato.
• Allergens: certain ingredients known to cause allergies (gluten, Nuts, milk, eggs, etc.) must be clearly indicated, often in bold or underlined.
• Nutritional values: mandatory for most products, these must include energy (in kcal and kJ), fat (including saturated fatty acids), carbohydrates (including sugars), fiber, protein and Salt, per 100g or 100ml, or even per portion.
• Best-before date (BBD) or minimum durability date (MWD): the BBD applies to highly perishable products, while the MWD is more flexible, for long-life products.
• Net weight: indicates the exact quantity of product (excluding packaging).
• Country of origin: mandatory for certain products such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and optional but recommended for others.

These rules are laid down in the Ordinance on Food Information (OIDAI). To find out more, visit the Swiss Confederation website.

2. Additives and preservatives: how to understand them?

Additives are often the prime suspects on a food label. Yet their presence is not necessarily a problem in itself. They are substances added to a foodstuff to improve its preservation, texture, taste or appearance. They may be colorants, thickeners, stabilizers, flavor enhancers or preservatives.

In Switzerland, as in the European Union, each authorized additive is identified by a letter "E" followed by a number (e.g. E202 for potassium sorbate, a preservative). These codes are universal and may seem technical, but they provide a useful standardization tool.

Here are a few common additive categories:

• Preservatives (E200 to E299): extend product shelf-life by limiting the development of micro-organisms.
• Colorants (E100 to E199): reinforce or modify a product's natural color.
• Thickeners, gelling agents, stabilizers (E400 to E499): improve texture (e.g. pectin, xanthan gum).
• Sweeteners (E950 to E969): replace sugar (e.g. aspartame, sucralose).

Some of these additives are of natural origin (pectin, citric acid), while others are synthetic. How dangerous they are depends on the dose, the consumer's profile and the overall food context. The important thing is to stay informed.

To find out exactly what each additive does, how it is used and its level of risk, we recommend you consult theOpen Food Facts database.

At bienBon.ch, we use no additives or artificial preservatives. Our dishes are preserved solely by pasteurization, a natural, heat-based method that has no impact on nutritional quality or taste.

3. Organic and quality labels: find out which ones you can trust

In a supermarket, it's hard to escape the dozens of logos, pictograms and labels that adorn packaging. "Organic", "local", "ethical", "sustainable"... these terms catch the eye, but not all are created equal. Some guarantee strict production criteria, while others are more marketing arguments than a guarantee of quality.

Here are the most common labels in Switzerland and what they mean:

• Bio Suisse (Bud): This is the main Swiss organic label. It imposes strict criteria on agriculture, animal welfare, chemical inputs and the Swiss origin of products. One of the most reliable.
• Demeter: Biodynamic agriculture label, even more demanding than Bio Suisse. It includes ecological, ethical and even philosophical dimensions.
• EU Bio: European organic label, less stringent than Bud, but nevertheless guaranteeing the absence of pesticides and GMOs.
• Fairtrade Max Havelaar: Concerns production conditions in developing countries (social equity, fair remuneration of producers, respect for the environment).
• Suisse Garantie: National label certifying that the product has been entirely processed in Switzerland, using Swiss raw materials and without GMOs.

To find out more about the dozens of labels available, we recommend you consult the interactive guide offered by WWF Switzerland. It classifies labels according to their level of environmental, social and health requirements.

4. Food scanning apps: useful, but in moderation

Faced with the complexity of food labels, mobile applications such as Yuka, Open Food Facts or CodeCheck have become very popular. Simply scan a barcode to obtain a nutritional score and explanations of the additives present.

These tools are useful for getting a quick idea of a product's overall quality, especially if you're in a hurry. But beware: they are based on algorithms that don't always take into account the full context. A food may be badly rated because of a slightly high Salt content, whereas this makes sense in an artisanal recipe.

Our advice: use them as benchmarks, not as absolute truths. An app doesn't replace your common sense or a careful reading of the ingredients list. It's a complement, not a substitute.

5. Case study: deciphering a label together

There's nothing like a real-life example to put into practice what we've just explained. Let's take three products available from Coop: one simple and organic, the other two more processed. The aim is to give you the keys to quickly analyze the labels in store.

Example 1: Tomato sauce with Basil (Coop Bio)

Product name : Tomato sauce with Basil Bio tomato sauce. The name is clear and announces the main content. A good point.

Ingredients: Tomatoes* (85%), extra virgin olive oil* (5%), onions*, raw cane sugar*, Basil* (1.2%), Garlic*, Salt marine, pepper*. (*from organic farming).

Analysis: Short list, raw ingredients, all organically grown. No additives, no added flavoring, no preservatives. An exemplary product.

Labels: Bio Suisse (Bud). Processed in Switzerland. Transparent and natural.

Example 2: Betty Bossi Naturaplan Organic Lemon Tortellis

Product name : Organic lemon tortellis (Coop Naturaplan / Betty Bossi).

Ingredients: Durum wheat semolina*, fromage frais (mascarpone, butter, milk proteins, concentrated lemon juice)*, wheat flour*, eggs*, extra virgin olive oil*, Salt, rice starch, natural flavourings, spices, acidifier (citric acid). (*from organic farming)

Analysis: Although organic, this product contains an acidifier (E330 - citric acid) and natural flavoring. This is nothing unusual, but it shows that an organic label does not exclude the use of additives, even if authorized. Nevertheless, it remains well above average in terms of quality.

Example 3: Cheese ramekins (12x70g)

Product name : Cheese ramekins (Coop frozen product).

Ingredients: Skimmed milk, cheese, wheat flour, vegetable oils (Rapeseed oil High Oleic, Rapeseed oil hydrogenated), water, starches (corn, potato), Salt, raising agent (E450, E500), thickener (E415), flavourings, spices.

Analysis: This product contains several additives: raising agents (E450, E500), a thickener (E415 - xanthan gum), and flavorings. Hydrogenated Rapeseed oil indicates an industrial process often associated with trans-fatty acids. This type of product illustrates extensive processing: the list is long, and some ingredients are not immediately identifiable to the average consumer.

Conclusion: These three examples show just how much labels can vary from one product to another. An organic product may contain additives, while a highly processed product may hide low quality behind flavourings and processing aids. Knowing how to read a label means knowing the difference.

7. Conclusion: reading a label means taking back the power

We're not asking you to become a nutritionist or a chemist. But understanding a label is like reading a map before a trip: it helps you avoid unpleasant surprises. Now you know what to look for (the order of ingredients, the presence of additives, credible labels), what to put into perspective (certain marketing claims or application scores), and above all how to make your choices with a clear conscience.

At bienBon.ch, we're all about clarity: dishes cooked with raw ingredients, preserved naturally by pasteurization, no shortcuts, no cheating. Just good, simple and transparent.

So next time you're out shopping, take 30 seconds to turn over the packet. This small gesture can really change the way you consume. And if you're looking for a ready-made alternative, you know where to find us!

👉 To remember:

• ✅ The order of the ingredients tells you everything about the composition.
• ✅ Not all additives are dangerous, but some are worth avoiding.
• ✅ Organic doesn't mean 100% natural, but it's often a good indicator of quality.
• ✅ An app can help, but your common sense remains your best ally.

📌 To find out more :

• Swiss food labeling regulations
• Complete list of food additives
• WWF food label guide

Learning to read a food label also means learning to consume better. In Switzerland, many products have very different compositions: between raw products, processed dishes and organic recipes, it's easy to get lost. Thanks to these practical tips, you now have the keys to choosing what you put on your plate with greater confidence.

FAQ - Food labels: what you often ask us

How do I know if an additive is dangerous?

Not all additives are harmful. Some are even natural (like citric acid or pectin). The best thing to do is to consult a reliable database such as Open Food Facts, or to be wary of little-known or numerous additives in the same recipe.

Are all organic products additive-free?

No. Even an organic product can contain authorized additives (citric acid, natural flavors, thickeners, etc.). What changes is the authorized list (more restricted) and the control of their origin.

Why do some simple products have very long ingredient lists?

Often because they are designed for long storage, easy reheating or uniform texture. This implies the addition of processing aids, flavor enhancers and so on. A long list isn't always bad, but it's often a sign of extensive processing.

Does bienBon.ch display its labels transparently?

Yes, every bienBon.ch dish has a complete list of ingredients on the product sheet. And since we don't add any additives or artificial preservatives, you won't have to decipher lines of technical information. Just real cooking.

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