We evaluated snacks and pantry staples against the Good Food Standard, with particular attention to ingredient transparency, labelling accuracy, and the gap between marketing claims and formulation.
What you should know
"Natural flavours" is among the most common ingredients in packaged food in the US. As a regulatory category, it covers a wide range of compounds derived from natural sources — used to create or intensify flavour. Products that name their flavour sources specifically (vanilla extract, lemon zest, smoked paprika) give you a clearer picture of what creates the taste.
"No added sugar" claims are regulated differently depending on where a product is sold. Under US FDA rules, sugar from concentrated fruit juice used to sweeten a product — beyond what the same volume of whole fruit juice naturally contains — counts as added sugar, with narrow exceptions for 100% juice drinks and jam or jelly. In the EU and UK, labels must show total sugars but aren't required to break out an added-sugars figure at all. The nutrition panel's total sugars per serving is the number that holds up across markets, regardless of what a front-of-pack claim says.
The oil used in crackers, crisps, and spreads is often the single largest ingredient by weight. "Vegetable oil" is a broad category that may cover several different oils. Named oils — olive, sunflower, coconut — tell you specifically what you're eating and allow for more informed comparison between products.
For condiments and ferments: live cultures make a real difference in fermented products. Pasteurised sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha may taste similar to the live versions — but the nutritional properties that make them worth buying are destroyed by heat. Look for "raw," "unpasteurised," or "live cultures" on fermented products.
Three things to check on any product
Ingredient count
A short, recognisable ingredient list is generally a reliable signal of a less processed product. The longer and less familiar the list, the more the product relies on additives and flavour enhancement rather than ingredient quality.
What oil is it?
"Vegetable oil" is a broad category. Named oils — olive, sunflower, coconut — tell you specifically what you're eating. For crackers, crisps, and spreads, the oil is often the single largest ingredient by weight.
Live or not?
For anything fermented — kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, vinegar — "raw," "unpasteurised," or "live cultures" tells you the product still has the cultures that make fermentation worth eating. Pasteurised versions are a different thing.
How we evaluate
The Directory
Listed alphabetically. Products here have been evaluated against the Four Pillars using publicly available information. We look at what producers share — we look for the full picture, and we do not rank between products.
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