Lesson 159 · German A1-2

Reading Food Labels

Lebensmitteletiketten lesen

A genuinely daily skill: understanding what's printed on German grocery packaging - expiry dates, allergens, nutrition facts. Reuses compound-noun decoding (Lesson 107).

Today's win: read the key information on a food label without needing a translation app.

Core vocabulary

das Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum (MHD)best-before datedie Zutatenlisteingredient list
die Nährwerte (pl.)nutrition factsenthältcontains

Quick check: decode "Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum" right-to-left (Lesson 107) - what's the core word?

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Datum (date)

Best-before vs. use-by

Mindestens haltbar bis: 12.05.2026 (Best before: 12 May 2026 - German date order, Lesson 41.)
Zu verbrauchen bis: ... (Use by: ... - a stricter safety date, used for perishables like raw meat.)

Quick check: which phrase signals a stricter safety deadline, not just quality?

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Zu verbrauchen bis

Allergen warnings

Enthält Gluten und Milch. (Contains gluten and milk.)
Kann Spuren von Nüssen enthalten. (May contain traces of nuts.)

Quick check: "Contains gluten and milk." - ______ Gluten und Milch.

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Enthält
Try it out loud (or with a real package): find one item in your kitchen with German packaging and locate its MHD and ingredient list.

Recap

1. What does MHD stand for?

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Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum

2. What's the German word for "ingredient list"?

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Zutatenliste

3. "May contain traces of nuts." - Kann ______ von Nüssen enthalten.

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Spuren

Primary source

Vocabulary cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste; food labeling terms follow standard EU/German regulations.

Have a real product label you're trying to decode? Ask your teaching agent to walk through it with you.

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