The Number Under the Word
Ten reports, one shelf habit: read the word, then ask what number or test it actually rests on.
This fortnight is a small education in not stopping at the noun. May contain, recycled, wool, SPF, ingredients, PFAS, disinfectant, lead-free: each word has a job, and the job is usually narrower than the trust a shopper puts into it.
The useful question is boring, which is why it works: what was measured, by whom, against which line, and what surface did the test never touch?
Reports
The "May Contain" Warning
"May contain" does not tell you which pack is contaminated; it tells you a maker chose to insure against uncertain cross-contact. The new Codex risk-based allergen standard gives warnings a reference-dose anchor, but Britain has not adopted it yet. For now, trust positive numbered claims like gluten-free more than silence. Read more →
The Sand Nobody Tested
Coloured play sand is crushed rock, and some rock can naturally carry asbestos; the official risk from recalled toys is low, but no rule required pre-sale asbestos screening. Check recalls and ask for SEM-EDX/TEM screening. Read more →
The Green Claim No One Could Report
A paid-search ad saying "Recycled" without a number can be true and still imply too much. ASA's machine can catch some of these private, fleeting claims; shoppers still need the percentage on the landing page. Read more →
The Chemicals a Shop Has to Tell You About
You can ask the shop that sold an article whether any Candidate List chemical is above 0.1%, free within 45 days. The right is real but works best when you name the part and the seller. Read more →
The Colour on Your Mug
The EU ceramic test fills the mug and masks the outside, so it misses the painted 2 cm rim your lip touches. Prefer plain rims or colour sealed under glaze, especially for reds and oranges. Read more →
The Line Nobody Checks
A wool label tells you the declared fibre, not the grade; twelve wool grades traded that week at a fourfold spread under the same word. Ask whether the composition rests on supplier declaration or test report. Read more →
The Government's Reply on Forever Chemicals in Food Left Out the Pesticides Sprayed on Fruit
Fludioxonil fits the PFAS definition and is licensed on fruit, yet UK PFAS food work counts four legacy industrial PFAS, not fluorinated pesticides. Washing helps a bit; peeling reaches apple residues; organic avoids that input. Read more →
The Film You Leave Behind
QAC disinfectants are designed to stay active, and a 2026 exposure study found one benzalkonium route dominated by surface-residue ingestion. Use detergent for ordinary mess; reserve residual disinfectants for a real hygiene event. Read more →
The Ingredients List
The cosmetics ingredients list names intended inputs, not everything left, formed, released or hidden inside mixture terms like fragrance. When a product stays on skin or hair, fewer scented leave-ons beats a label spelling test. Read more →
The SPF Number
SPF is useful, but it is a human-panel estimate, not a state-rechecked physical constant on every bottle. Use it properly, then ask for better disclosure of method, lab, batch and last-test date. Read more →
Take Action
The Braiding Hair That Comes With Its Test Results
Born from The Ingredients List: braiding hair needs lot-linked heavy-metal, organotin, VOC and phthalate results on the pack, not a colour and length.
The Edge Gel Without the Release Chemistry
Born from The Ingredients List and The Film You Leave Behind: a strong-hold edge gel should name a non-releasing preservative system, skip ethoxylates and fragrance opacity, and leave the plastic pot behind.
The Disinfectant That Tells You What's Left
Born from The Film You Leave Behind: a food-prep disinfectant should kill, decompose into non-biocide residues, and publish what remains by a named method.
The label is still worth reading. Just do not let the largest word on it do the smallest job unchallenged.