Experts Say Industry Food Labels Deceptive

Manufacturers Add "Smart Choices" Labels to Packages, Mimicking Government Nutrition Labels; Bid to Push Processed Foods?

Smart Choices‘ bad reputation is growing. Nutritionist and food industry critic Marion Nestle pointed out recently that in the new front-of-package nutrition labeling scheme, sugary cereals like Kellogg’s Froot Loops made the cut to receive an encouraging green Smart Choices check mark. The New York Times just picked up the story, putting it on the front page of the business section, and CBS followed, with both reports highlighting Froot Loops as one of the supposedly better-for-you options under the program.

More than forty percent of the calories in Froot Loops come from sugar, but apparently the program approved the cereal to let parents know that Froot Loops is a healthier option than, say, donuts. And the sugar will motivate kids to eat the cereal, which contains fiber and other nutrients, according to one Smart Choices board member.

Of course, Froot Loops is not the only dubious “Smart Choice” in the program, nor is Kellogg the only company involved. There’s also Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Breyer’s fat-free chocolate fudge brownie ice cream (Unilever), and Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups (General Mills). PepsiCo and ConAgra participate in Smart Choices as well.

Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest was originally part of the panel to establish Smart Choices criteria, but he said the food industry dominated the decision-making process. “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria,” he told the New York Times.

Read on...

Misleading food labels to get makeover

FDA developing restrictions for front-of-package claims

The aisles of American supermarkets can be bewildering places these days, lined with dozens of variations of cereals, crackers, chips and other foods, many of which boast of their supposed healthfulness — this yogurt is "low fat," while this cereal is "heart healthy," and those chips have "0 grams trans fat." What claims are the conscientious eater to trust and what foods should they pick to put on their table?

This question has become harder and harder for shoppers to answer, as health problems associated with poor diets, such as heart disease and obesity, affect more U.S. residents each year. Meanwhile, studies show that Americans want more and better guidance on what foods to eat.

"The public is demonstrably confused about what to eat," said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist at New York University, who recently gave a talk here at the New York Academy of Sciences about diet and food politics.  Read on