Promotions and yellow price tags: how they work and when they are worth it
A yellow price tag works not because the price is low, but because it is high-contrast: the eye finds it before it reads the number.
Shopping
What gets decided before the till: price per kilogram, pack size, dates, standards and shop own-brands. And separately, products whose recipe quietly changed.
Price per kilogram: the only comparable figure on a price tag
There are two numbers on a price tag.
What to look for in an ingredient list in ten seconds
Reading an entire ingredient list at the shelf is impossible: the print is small, and there is no time.
How the composition of Coca-Cola has changed: cocaine, sugar, and corn syrup
Coca-Cola is a rare case where changes in the composition of a mass-market product are documented and span more than a hundred years.
GOST and TU: what is actually behind these letters
GOST is often read as a mark of quality, while TU is seen as permission to do whatever one wants.
How the composition of sausage has changed and what to look for in it now
Sausage is the most convenient product for analyzing how recipes change: the changes are documented by percentages right on the packaging.
Butter and spread: how to distinguish them and why they are different products
Butter and spread sit side by side, look the same, and cost different amounts.
Condensed milk and "milk-containing product": where is the line drawn
Condensed milk is a product made of two ingredients: milk and sugar.
Chocolate and confectionery bars: what changes when cocoa butter is replaced
Cocoa butter is the most expensive part of chocolate, and an entire category of products that look indistinguishable from it has been built around its replacement.
Shrinkflation: the package got smaller, but the price stayed the same
A liter of milk has turned into 900 milliliters, a dozen eggs into nine, and a chocolate bar has shrunk from 100 grams to 85.
Private label products: what they are and when to buy them
A store-brand product costs 20–40% less than a name-brand equivalent sitting right next to it on the shelf.
Expiration dates: "best before" and "use by" are not the same
The date on packaging is perceived as a boundary between "safe" and "unsafe," although it means different things for different products.
Food standards in different countries: why the same product varies
The same brand in two countries may have a different composition, and this is not always about cost-cutting.
Packaging and freshness: what vacuum, modified atmosphere, and inflated bags do
Packaging does more than just hold a product—it is part of the shelf life.
Frozen foods: when they are just as good as fresh
Freezing is often seen as a compromise: fresh is better, and frozen is only for when there is no choice.
From reading to doing. All of it starts in one place — knowing what is on the plate. Photograph it and the calories and macros appear on their own.
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This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.