SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2026|No. 18148
Business · Consumer Protection

US Companies Employ 'Ingredient Splitting' Tactic, Raising Consumer Concerns

American companies are utilizing a legal but deceptive practice known as 'ingredient splitting' to manipulate product labeling and mislead consumers about primary ingredients.

A close-up of a food product's ingredient list on its packaging.
A close-up of a food product's ingredient list on its packaging. · Photo by Tamara Malaniy on Unsplash
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There is a scam American companies are using to manipulate what ingredient gets listed as the first main ingredient on products.

Take Smuckers, strawberries is the first ingredient. So you would think strawberries is the main primary ingredient, but that’s not true.

American companies are using a food formulation technique known as ‘ingredient splitting’.

For Smuckers, they divide the sweeteners up into 3 different ingredients. That way, each of them weigh less.

This allows the word strawberries to be listed on the label as the first ingredient, giving the impression that it's mostly strawberries. In reality, it's mostly sugar.

This is a scam. It’s outright manipulation of our system and lying to customers.

Ingredients splitting is a real labeling tactic, and it is legal. It’s allowed by the FDA.

I included 10 more popular American foods where this same “ingredients slitting” scam tactic is being used at the end of the video.

Ingredients are listed by weight, so splitting sugar into sugar, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup lets each one land below the fruit. Add them together and sugar is often the real first ingredient. It's a labeling trick that hides how much sugar people are actually eating.

The entire American food and healthcare system is a scam. Why do you think Americans are the sickest people in the world?

Grow a garden. Become as self-reliant as possible! There is an agenda to keep you sick!

PAN's pipeline reviewed approximately 1 open sources for this article. No human editor reviewed this article before publication.

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