Clean Food Score

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

MSG is glutamate plus sodium, the same glutamate found in tomatoes and parmesan. We cover what the FDA and the research say, where the 'Chinese restaurant syndrome' myth came from and why the name is a problem, US labeling rules, MSG calories and types, and real products that list it or don't (as of October 2026).

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:42 What Glutamate Is
1:26 Glutamate Is Everywhere
2:19 M S G Calories and Types
3:07 Where the Scare Came From
4:15 What the Research Says
5:06 The Labeling Rules
5:49 Where M S G Shows Up
6:18 How to Spot It
6:59 Real Labels
7:54 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#msg #umami #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Dave's Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Ezekiel both skip calcium propionate, and both score 100 on our label check. But one uses cultured wheat flour and vinegar, the other lives in the freezer. We read both labels in full, plus sugar, sprouted grains, gluten-free loaves and a six-step bread label checklist.

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:45 Why Bread Needs Help
1:32 Calcium Propionate
2:16 The Label-Friendly Version
3:02 Dough Conditioners
3:44 Dave's Killer Bread Twenty-One Whole Grains
4:26 Ezekiel and Sprouted Grains
5:18 Sugar in Bread
5:57 The Bread Shelf
6:59 Gluten-Free Loaves
7:41 How to Read a Bread Label
8:17 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#bread #foodlabels #cleaneating

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup start the same way but aren't the same ingredient. We explain how each is made, HFCS 42 vs 55, corn syrup solids, the names used abroad (glucose-fructose syrup, isoglucose), what the evidence says about HFCS vs added sugar, and real label swaps (as of October 2026).

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:43 From Corn to Syrup
1:25 How H F C S Is Made
2:10 H F C S Forty-Two vs Fifty-Five
2:53 Corn Syrup Solids and Other Names
3:54 What the Evidence Says
5:27 Where It Hides
6:03 Reading the Label
6:44 Real Labels
7:22 Swaps
8:02 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#cornsyrup #hfcs #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

We read the labels on 49 beef sticks, jerky and meat bars. Here's what encapsulated citric acid and cultured celery powder actually do, why "uncured" still means cured, where sugar and soy sauce hide in jerky, and which products score highest (as of October 2026).

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:46 What's in a Beef Stick
1:48 Encapsulated Acids
2:41 Celery Powder and Uncured
3:47 Sugar and Soy Sauce
4:43 The MSG Question
5:21 Grass-Fed Claims
6:08 The Bigger Picture
6:47 The Ten Second Label Check
7:25 The Ranked Picks
8:18 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#beefjerky #beefsticks #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

"Dye free" means no synthetic colors like Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 or Green 3, not no color at all. We decode the label clues, check the new M&M's made without FD&C colors (as of October 2026), and show real dye-free candy, cereal and snack swaps with their Clean Food Score.

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:40 What Dye Free Means
1:28 Meet the Dye Family
2:19 Clues on the Label
3:08 Dye-Free Candy
4:06 M&M's Without Dye
5:02 Beyond the Candy Aisle
6:04 Natural Colors by Shade
6:53 Why People Go Dye Free
7:51 The Ten-Second Check
8:23 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#dyefree #fooddyes #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Cage-free and free-range have loose USDA definitions, and pasture-raised has none at all. We decode every carton word, the Certified Humane 108 sq ft rule, what organic adds, how to read omega-3 and feed claims, and real Vital Farms cartons with their Clean Food Score label scores (as of October 2026).

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:38 Three Words, Three Rules
1:18 Pasture-Raised Has No Rulebook
1:53 The Hundred and Eight Square Feet Rule
2:40 Organic Is a Separate Claim
3:18 Feed and Omega-Three Claims
4:17 Words That Mean Little
4:56 Grades Aren't Farming Claims
5:24 How Our Score Treats Pasture-Raised
6:08 Real Cartons, Real Scores
7:06 Finding Them Near You
7:40 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#pastureraisedeggs #eggs #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Most nitrate-free lunch meat is cured with celery powder, a natural source of the same nitrite. We explain what "uncured" legally means, what the WHO's cancer agency says about deli meats (as of October 2026), and a five-point label check for your next sandwich.

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:39 Why Meat Gets Cured
1:23 The Celery Trick
2:05 Isn't Celery Healthy?
2:48 What Uncured Really Means
3:36 Reading a Real Label
4:16 Deli Meat and Cancer Risk
5:25 Look Past the Nitrates
6:10 The Five-Point Label Check
6:56 Sandwich Meat Without Curing
7:44 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#delimeat #nitrates #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Zero sugar doesn't tell you how a drink is sweetened. We decode the six FDA-approved sweeteners, the Equal, Splenda and Sweet'N Low packets, what IARC and JECFA actually said about aspartame in 2023, the WHO guideline on sweeteners and weight, and a 10-second label check (as of October 2026).

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:47 The Six Approved Sweeteners
1:32 The Packet Names
2:29 Aspartame Versus Sucralose
3:19 Stevia, Monk Fruit and Allulose
4:10 The Twenty Twenty-Three Headlines
5:26 Sweeteners and Weight
6:14 A Note on Sugar Alcohols
7:08 Reading a Sugar-Free Label
7:48 Real Labels
8:33 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#aspartame #sucralose #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

There are eight common seed oils, and plain vegetable oil almost always counts too. We cover the full list, how seed oils are pressed, extracted and refined, what the evidence does and doesn't show, where they hide, the "and/or" label trick, kosher questions and simple swaps.

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:42 What Makes a Seed Oil
1:26 The Full List
2:06 Is Vegetable Oil a Seed Oil?
2:38 How They're Made
3:35 What the Evidence Says
4:44 Where They Hide
5:30 Reading the Label
6:15 Are Seed Oils Kosher?
6:56 Swaps from the Catalog
7:42 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#seedoils #seedoilfree #foodlabels

Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.

Red 40 is the most-used food dye in America, and it hides under seven different names. We explain what it is, where it shows up, what the research and the new rules say (as of October 2026), and how to swap it out in a ten-second label check.

Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:39 What Red 40 Actually Is
1:28 Seven Names on a Label
2:27 Where It Hides
3:13 What the Research Says
4:16 The Rules Are Changing
5:14 Red 40 Versus Red 3
5:46 Natural Reds
6:24 How to Avoid It
7:09 Dye-Free Swaps
7:55 Your Turn

Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.

Music
"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

#red40 #fooddyes #foodlabels