Label Literacy
Rules, claim language, and package-reading patterns that make the back panel less slippery.
Cleaner Choices, Backed by Evidence
Know more before you buy.
CleanLabel helps you decode ingredients, compare protein powders, check claims, and make evidence-backed shopping decisions.
Paste an ingredient list, check additives, and compare protein powders with evidence-backed notes on ingredients, additives, and protein claims.
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Decode a pasted ingredient list.
Paste a real label and see which ingredients look simple, need a closer read, or raise a flag.
Paste ingredients
Whey protein concentrate, cocoa powder, sunflower lecithin, natural flavours, sucralose, xanthan gum, silicon dioxide.
Analyze this labelInstant resultB+
- Whey protein concentrate — clean
- Cocoa powder — clean
- Sunflower lecithin — clean
- Natural flavours — watch
- Xanthan gum — watch
- Sucralose — avoid
Protein comparison
The front of a protein tub rarely tells the whole story.
Compare 30+ scored protein powders, with more being added, by ingredients, protein source, cost, and label transparency.
CleanLabel protein scanB+
Source confidence78
Cost per useful serving61
Additive load34
Ingredient quality
See sweeteners, additives, flavour systems, and formula trade-offs before the tub reaches your cart.
Protein source
Compare whey, isolate, blends, plant protein, evidence quality, and the label details that change the verdict.
True cost
Move past sticker price and compare cost per useful serving, protein gram, and buying priority.
Ingredient database
Understand what an ingredient is doing.
Browse ingredient terms, additives, sweeteners, allergen flags, and safety context before a vague claim does the selling for you.
From the knowledge base
Recently decoded.
Issue #013 · Guest Article · Clean Label Innovation
Why Natural Sweeteners Are Transforming the Future of Clean Label Foods
These days, people are so much more attentive about ingredients than before. The focus is shifting toward recognizable, minimal, and less processed ingredients.
Natural sweeteners offer manufacturers a functional alternative to help meet consumer demands for clean labels and appealing tastes.
Read the analysis →Issue #008 · Macro Science
The protein price shock behind whey, beef, and eggs
The tub got smaller, beef stopped behaving like a cheap dinner anchor, and eggs swung from panic to relief. The useful question is not whether protein is scarce. It is which format got expensive, and why.
Back-panel rule: compare protein by cost per gram, not tub price, serving claims, or front-label protein halos.
Read the analysis →Issue #012 · Guest Article · Clean Label Innovation
Natural Food Preservatives: The Key to Cleaner Labels and Longer Shelf Life
Never before in history have consumers been so invested in the food and drink, they consume. Instead of relying solely on flavour and price alone, many shoppers now seek food products created with easily understandable, natural ingredients.
Natural food preservatives are changing the way food manufacturers are thinking about the important mix of food safety, shelf life and consumer desires.
Read the analysis →Issue #011 · Guest Article · Label Literacy
Protein Powder Decoded: How to Read Labels and Choose Quality Ingredients
A guest label-reading guide on how to compare protein powder claims, protein sources, serving math, sweeteners, and ingredient-list quality.
Guest lens: protein powder quality starts with the protein source, serving-size math, sweetener system, and ingredient-list clarity behind the front-pack claim.
Read the analysis →Issue #010 · Guest Article · Clean Label Innovation
Natural Food Colors Are Driving the Next Wave of Clean Label Product Innovation
A guest trend brief on why natural food colors have moved from a background ingredient to a clean label formulation signal across drinks, dairy substitutes, sweets, snacks, and other packaged foods.
Guest lens: natural colors can support a cleaner label, but brands still need to explain the source, function, and formulation trade-offs clearly.
Read the analysis →Issue #009 · Label Literacy
The Shrinking Gram: When a 30 g Protein Claim Delivers Less
A protein tub can keep its headline gram while the useful protein behind it gets thinner. The audit is source, amino profile, serving math, and third-party testing.
Back-panel rule: treat a protein claim as unfinished until the source, amino profile, serving math, and third-party testing are visible.
Read the analysis →Issue #007 · Macro Science
7 things your protein powder label is not telling you
You can spend ₹3,000 a month, train hard, and still miss the protein you thought you bought. The fix is calm label reading: scoop size, protein source, amino profile, and testing details before the shiny claim.
Protein powder can be useful when time, appetite, or training makes food protein hard to hit. The clean buy proves its protein source, serving math, amino pr...
Read the analysis →Issue #006 · Macro Science
Protein Types Flooding India: What They Mean, Who They Fit, and What to Avoid
India’s protein boom now spans pharmacies, marketplaces, and quick-commerce apps. You’ll see whey, plant blends, mass gainers, clear drinks, bars, and meal replacements in one scroll. The front says protein. The source and formula decide whether it actually fits your goal.
No single protein type wins for everyone. Compare source-to-goal fit and ingredient-list clarity, not front-pack grams alone.
Read the analysis →Issue #005 · Label literacy
The Smart Indian's Guide to Reading a Protein Label
Most supplement mistakes happen after choosing a brand and right before checkout. The missed step is the label read: serving size, ingredient order, protein type, and legal details.
The cleanest comparisons used one fixed order: legal identity and license, serving-size math, ingredient order, protein-type fit, then price.
Read the analysis →Issue #004 · Label literacy
"Zero sugar" and "no added sugar" are not the same thing
Why zero sugar is a quantity claim, no added sugar is a processing claim, and total sugars still settle the shelf question.
Back-panel rule: compare total sugars per 100g or 100ml before you trust a sugar claim.
Read the analysis →Issue #001 · Label literacy
The first 5 ingredients reveal more than the front label
Ingredient order, split sweeteners, and the first-five scan that makes a package easier to read.
Back-panel rule: read the first five ingredients before you trust the front claim.
Read the analysis →Issue #002 · Regulatory Watch
Three food police, one snack
How the FDA, EFSA, FSSAI, and Codex can read the same packaged snack differently.
Back-panel rule: legal in one market does not mean legible in every market.
Read the analysis →Issue #003 · Macro Science
Protein grams are not the same as protein quality. DIAAS is the score missing from most labels.
Why protein claims need digestibility, amino acid balance, and source context.
Back-panel rule: protein grams need a source, an amino profile, and a sweetener check.
Read the analysis →The Shelf Test
Test your label instincts in five questions.
Shelf Test 01 - Label literacySugar Claim or Trap?
Decide what to check when a pack says zero sugar, no added sugar, naturally sweetened, or sweetener-free.
Shelf Test 02 - Ingredient listRead the First FivePractice reading ingredient order, split sweeteners, and tiny tail ingredients without overreacting to every long word.
Shelf Test 03 - Macro scienceProtein Label Reality CheckSeparate protein grams from protein source, quality clues, serving tricks, and the extras that ride along.
Platform Tools
More ways to check a product before you buy.
Use the analyzer, ingredient checker, and protein tools to turn confusing packaging into a clear buy, skip, or compare decision.
Ingredient Analyzer
Paste a full ingredient panel and get Clean, Watch, Avoid, allergen, and additive notes from the CleanLabel database.
Analyze ingredients →Ingredient Checker
Search one additive, E-number, sweetener, preservative, or label term before it lands in the basket.
Search an ingredient →Protein Powder Comparison
Search 100+ scored protein products and brands, then compare evidence quality, cost, label clarity, and formula trade-offs.
Compare proteins →Find Your Protein Powder
Rank protein powders by goal, budget, formula priority, transparency, and true buying trade-offs.
Find a powder →Protein Requirement Calculator
Estimate a daily protein target, meal split, and food-first combinations from body weight and goal.
Calculate protein →Fibre Gap Calculator
Log common foods, estimate the likely fibre gap, and get practical additions for the next meal.
Find fibre gap →Who this is for
Clean label decisions from shelf to strategy.
Protein enthusiasts
For gym-goers and everyday protein buyers who want the label checked before checkout.
Research the market →Health-conscious shoppers
Paste the label before you buy or look up an ingredient, get a plain-English read on additives, sweeteners, allergens, and trade-offs.
Decode a product →Nutrition coaches
Compare protein products by macros, ingredient quality, cost, and formula trade-offs before making a recommendation.
Compare proteins →Can't find it?
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