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FDA Re-Examines Nutrition Label Lingo
Filed under: In The News, Alerts & Recalls
FDA authorities question whether nutrition labeling is misleading consumers. Credit: Keystone / AP
Amid those concerns, a national nutrition labeling program called Smart Choices, which had been embraced by big food companies, announced it was suspending operations. The program rolled out in August and awarded a green check mark to foods that met low fat, sugar or sodium content. But alarm bells sounded when sugary cereals got the green check, too.
Now the FDA is studying ways to regulate varying front food label nutritional facts from manufacturers and grocers.
"It's so confusing," Bonnie Taub-Dix, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association tells ParentDish. "Unfortunately there's a lot of contradictory information out there."
A handful of grocers have already rolled out different programs that steer consumers to what they say is healthy.
For instance, in the Midwest, at the Iowa-based Hy-Vee grocery stores, shoppers can use the NuVal System, which summarizes the nutritional value of a food on a display label right on the shelves. The system rates food on a scale of 1 to 100, with cookies rating a 34 and carrots a 99.
In the Eastern part of the country, Florida-based Food Lion and Maine-based Hannaford Brothers use "Guiding Star" that steers customers to foods they say are healthy, based on an algorithm devised by a panel of experts. It places between one and three stars in food with good, better or best nutritional value.
The American Heart Association also has its own "Heart Check" label. It lets consumers know certain products, like Quaker Oatmeal, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Even the British government has gotten into the act, trying to curb obesity with the Traffic Light food-rating system. If the package has a red dot, don't eat too much; yellow, use some caution; and green means the item has healthy amounts of fats, sugar or sodium.
Some food labels are working. ParentDish.
"Hannaford Brothers and the Brits say the labels are effective in moving people in the right direction," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Manufacturers have been encouraged to cut salt in their products, because of the labels, Jacobson said.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-18-2009 @ 4:43PM
Amy said...These ridiculous labels lead people toward more processed crap and away from fresh produce, meat, and dairy. As far as I'm concerned, very few things that come in a box are "smart choices." I'll keep eating food from my garden and neighbor's farms instead of over-processed, over-packaged food that was shipped across the country--I don't care what foolish marketing label is on it.
Although if someone chooses Cheerios over Twinkies because of these labels, then maybe there is some benefit. If someone chose homemade oatmeal over Cheerios, though, that would be even better. But we should be teaching people about nutrition WAY before they are in the grocery store looking for Smart Choices labels.
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