Are you a sucker for food labels that read "antioxidant power," "vitamin-fortified," or "organic?" Then you've been taken in by what are known as health halos—product claims that make you think that what you're buying is healthy. Sometimes it's not. Here's the lowdown on some of the most misleading packaged-food claims.
This one is tricky. If you love Mother Earth and want to avoid pesticides and genetically modified ingredients, organic is the way to go. When a packaged food carries the USDA organic seal, 95% or more of its ingredients are organically produced. But don't automatically assume, as many people do, that organic means more nutritious or lower in fat, sugar, or calories than conventional. Generally, that's not the case. An organic cookie is, alas, still a cookie.