Label Literacy and Safe Choices: A Pediatric Dietitian’s Guide for Parents
Hands up if you’ve ever stood in the grocery aisle staring at a food package. Between nutrition facts, ingredient lists, and all those health claims on the front, reading labels can feel like deciphering a foreign language, especially if your child has food allergies.
As a pediatric dietitian, I hear from parents all the time who want to feed their families well but feel overwhelmed by what to look for. In this post, I'll guide you through the basics of label literacy, cover how to interpret nutrition facts, identify hidden allergens, understand terms like “dairy-free” or “natural,” and strike a balance between convenience and healthfulness.
Why Food Label Literacy Matters
Food labels are more than just numbers and fine print. For the parents of children with food allergies, label literacy is a critical safety skill. For all families, it’s also a way to model healthy decision-making and teach kids about nutrition.
Reading labels helps you protect your child’s health by avoiding allergens and harmful ingredients, while also supporting long-term wellness through foods that are higher in fiber and contain less added sugar, as well as a good balance of nutrients. It also gives you the confidence to make informed choices in a world full of marketing claims and conflicting advice.
Over time, these small, label-based decisions accumulate and help shape healthier eating habits, empowering kids to make informed food choices on their own.
Decoding the Nutrition Facts Panel
The Nutrition Facts label is where you’ll find serving sizes, calories, and nutrient breakdowns. When reading a food label, it’s important to consider each food in the context of the overall diet. Here are some tips for what to focus on:
Serving Size
Always start by checking the serving size. Keep in mind that nutrition labels are typically based on adult portion sizes, which may not accurately reflect what your child actually eats.
Additionally, even when a package may appear small, the label may still count it as two or three servings. For example, a bag of trail mix may list three servings, yet if your child eats the entire bag at once, they’re actually consuming three times the calories, sugar, and other nutrients listed on the label.
Calories and Macronutrients
Calories give you a sense of energy balance, but for kids, the quality of calories matters more. Look at:
Protein: There is a significant push on the internet these days to increase protein in foods, but most kids can easily meet their daily protein needs by eating a balanced diet. If you are wondering how much protein a child really needs, you can quickly calculate it with this easy formula: Daily protein needs = ½ gram protein per pound of body weight
Aim for protein-rich whole foods like beans, lean meats, yogurt, or eggs to help keep kids full and support growth.
Fiber: Most kids (about 90%!) don’t get enough fiber. Ideally, look for at least 2–3 grams per serving. Good sources of fiber include whole grain products, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables.
Quick Tip: To estimate the minimum number of grams of fiber your child should ideally consume each day, take the age of your child and add 5. So, if your child is 3 years old, they should be eating at least 8 grams of fiber per day.
Added Sugars: The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for children (and no added sugar for children under age 2). Choose products with lower added sugars whenever possible.
Use caution! Many foods, such as yogurts, cereals, and granola bars that seem “healthy,” often contain 20-25 grams of sugar per serving.
Fat: Don’t fear healthy unsaturated fats - like those found in nuts, seeds, avocado, and fish! They provide energy and support brain development, hormone production, and the absorption of essential fat-soluble vitamins, including A, D, E, and K.
Do your best to avoid trans fats (rare these days, but sometimes hiding as “partially hydrogenated oils” in ingredient lists). Limit saturated fats found in foods like butter, red meat, and coconut oil.
Micronutrients
Labels highlight certain micronutrients such as vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
Percent Daily Value (%DV): This helps put nutrients into context. Anything 5% or less is considered low, while 20% or more is high.
TOP TIP: Packaged foods for kids can be surprisingly high in salt (also known as sodium), so it’s worth checking to keep daily intake in a healthy range.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Americans on average eat about 1 to 3 teaspoons of salt a day (adding up to between 2,300 and 6,900 mg of sodium; however, the average daily sodium requirement is much less, ranging from 1,200 mg of sodium for 4 to 8-year-old children to 1,500 mg for 9 to 18-year-olds.
Ingredient Lists: Where Allergens Hide
Ingredients are listed from most to least by weight. This is where label literacy matters most for the parents of kids with food allergies. You’ll see allergens either bolded in the list or in a “Contains” statement (e.g., Contains: Milk, Wheat). Let’s quickly review the major allergens below.
Major Allergens
In the U.S., food manufacturers must clearly label the “Big 9” allergens:
Milk
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Wheat
Soy
Fish
Shellfish
Sesame (added in 2023)
Precautionary Allergen Labels (PALs)
Phrases like “May contain traces of peanuts” or “Made in a facility that processes tree nuts” are not regulated by the FDA. That means companies use them voluntarily, and there’s no standard threshold for risk, which creates considerable confusion for parents.
As a registered pediatric dietitian, I recommend talking with your child’s allergist about whether to avoid foods with PALs, as they may have individualized advice for you related to the type and severity of your child’s allergies. You can also contact companies directly to inquire about their manufacturing practices if you’re unsure. When in doubt, however, choose certified allergy-safe brands whenever possible.
Label Reading Tips with Food Allergies
When your child has food allergies, reading labels quickly becomes second nature, but it can still feel a little overwhelming at times. Even the foods you’ve bought a hundred times before can surprise you with a new ingredient or a hidden warning, which is why a quick double-check is always worth it.
Here are a few quick tips to help you out:
Always read the entire label, every time—ingredients can change, even in trusted brands.
Look for advisory statements. Even if the allergen isn’t an ingredient, cross-contact may be a risk.
Double-check with new packaging—reformulations often occur, sometimes quietly.
Use allergy-friendly brands that clearly label and are free from common allergens.
When in doubt, don’t risk it — If a label is unclear, missing, or suspicious, it’s safest to avoid the product entirely.
Since U.S. food labels are only legally required to clearly list the top nine allergens, it takes extra diligence when your child has an allergy outside of that group. Here are a few practical tips for this situation:
Know the “hidden names.” Some foods have multiple names or derivatives (e.g., lupin for legume allergies, or casein for milk). Make a list of all the possible ingredient terms that could contain your child’s allergen.
Look beyond bolded allergens. For all other allergens other than the top nine, you’ll have to scan the fine print of the ingredient list yourself.
Contact manufacturers directly. When in doubt, call or email. Many brands have allergen information available, but sometimes you need to ask specifically about your child’s allergen.
Marketing Claims: Sorting Fact from Fiction
When looking at the front of the package, claims can often sound reassuring, when really, they are misleading. Below you will find some common marketing phrases and how to decipher what they really mean:
“Dairy-Free” vs. “Non-Dairy”-- The terms dairy-free and non-dairy don’t mean the same thing, and unfortunately, neither guarantees a product is safe for someone with a milk allergy! Because “dairy-free” isn’t a regulated term, and “non-dairy” products can still contain milk proteins like casein, the only way to be sure a product does not contain milk is to always read the ingredient list carefully.
“Gluten-Free”-- This is a regulated claim, meaning the product must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. This means the product is safe for a person with a gluten allergy or intolerance.
“No Added Sugar”-- This does not mean sugar-free. A product may contain fruit juice concentrates or other sweeteners. Always check the Nutrition Label for the amount of sugar present in the product.
“Natural”-- This term is not strictly defined. It doesn’t guarantee healthfulness or allergen safety.
“Organic”-- Refers to how food is grown/produced, not necessarily its nutritional profile. Organic cookies are still cookies.
Balancing Convenience with Healthfulness
Parents are busy. It’s unrealistic to cook every meal from scratch, and that’s okay! Packaged foods can fit into a healthy diet if chosen wisely.
As a registered dietitian and fellow parent, here are a few of my top strategies to create balanced meals on a budget:
Lean on healthy shortcuts: Frozen veggies, canned beans, pre-washed salad mixes.
Snack smart: Instead of chips, look for whole-grain crackers with cheese, roasted chickpeas, homemade granola with Greek yogurt, or fruit cups packed in water.
Pair convenience with balance: A boxed mac and cheese can be boosted with peas and shredded chicken. Another tip is to cook the noodles in bone broth and add a chopped scrambled egg at the end for extra protein.
Keep perspective: One “fun food” won’t derail your child’s diet. Aim for overall balance across the week, not perfection every day.
Build a pantry with nutritious canned foods and other non-perishables for days when cooking feels like too much.
Teaching Kids Label Literacy
Even young children can adopt healthy eating patterns, and building these skills early helps them grow into safe, savvy eaters. You can involve your child in simple ways, like turning grocery shopping into a learning experience.
For example, you might ask them to help find cereals that contain at least three grams of fiber, or let them compare the sugar content of different yogurts. Children with food allergies can also learn to identify their offending allergen on ingredient lists, giving them a sense of independence and safety.
Over time, these small moments of label reading add up, teaching kids how to make informed choices and giving them the confidence to eventually navigate food decisions independently.
Final Thoughts
Learning to read food labels doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Start by noticing serving sizes and fiber, which are two often-overlooked details that make a big difference in your child’s nutrition. Pay attention to added sugars and aim for lower-sugar options when possible.
If your child has food allergies, become familiar with reading ingredient lists closely and remember that precautionary allergen labels can be inconsistent. Work with your child’s healthcare team to know what level of caution is right for your family.
Most importantly, try not to get caught up in perfection. Labels are simply a tool to help guide safe and healthy decisions, not a source of stress. Every small step you take toward label literacy builds confidence, keeps your child safer, and helps you model balanced eating habits.
If you’re interested in learning more about how and when to integrate foods into your baby's diet, as well as how to reduce the risk of food allergies during infancy, check out my new baby-led feeding + food allergy prevention guide and cookbook!
And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support for your babies or kids, I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice.
Thanks for reading!