"nutrition labels" news and stories

Want to know whether that box of Post Cranberry Almond Crunch cereal that you're eyeing in the grocery store is really that good for you? Forget reading the side of the box; check your iPhone instead.

The folks over at Fooducate.com have just released a new version of their free mobile app that allows users to scan the bar codes of more than 200,000 food products to find the truth behind the nutrition label. Sure, Post trumpets the fact that its Cranberry Almond Crunch is made with whole grains, but, as the Fooducate app warns, the cereal isn't made with 100 percent whole grains, and it has the equivalent of 3.5 teaspoons of sugar, mostly added.

Not only that, but the app gives each product a letter grade (Post's Cranberry Almond Crunch gets a lackluster C+), and suggests healthier alternatives (try B+ Multi-Grain Cheerios instead). Users can also rate products themselves and post reviews, though we're not sure how many moms with a squirming toddler in the cart want to spend the time wading through dozens of comments about canned soup.

In any case, the app (which is currently only available for Apple products) is a kind of Rosetta stone for all that appears Greek to most of us as we scan the ingredients list of the average processed food product. To wit, who knew that "hydrolyzed collagen" is an additive akin to MSG? Or that you'd find it in a protein bar?

The first nutrition labels entered our supermarkets in 1993, with the exemption of meat. That was left up to the producers to decide if they felt like stamping their product with calories, sodium, fat, saturated fat and protein percentages. Instead, you'll find things like "70% lean meat," but who knows what that means?

Wednesday morning, the USDA enacted new mandatory rules that will require ground, chopped and whole cuts of beef, poultry, pork and lamb to display complete nutrition information beginning on January 1, 2012. Chopped and ground meat will need to bear the label right on the package, while whole cuts need to have the facts displayed on a counter or at the point of purchase. Small producers -- those on a single facility, producing less than 100,000 pounds annually -- will only need to provide information for whole cuts, which will be available upon request or online with no burdensome fee for these small businesses.

USA Today got an early look at the labels and notes that "a 4-ounce serving of regular ground beef that is 73% lean meat contains 350 calories, 270 of them from fat, according to the USDA, making up 60% of the suggested daily intake of saturated fat in a 2,000-calorie diet."

Are we surprised by the numbers? The full report can be viewed at the Federal Register.

And see our story "Where's the Good Beef?" for recent news on labels for meat produced from humanely raised animals.

The fight over facts presented on the front of packages are about to come to a head. The battle has long been over the selective truths and marketing ploys that riddle our cardboard boxes, from those that tout immunity to those that give a nondescript check of approval. Now, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA) has announced a front-of-package labeling initiative that will supposedly work to "inform consumers and combat obesity," as the organization's October 27th press release states.

Too bad, though, that it actually comes after the FDA-sponsored memo from the Institute of Medicine, "recommending that FOP [front of package] symbols only mention calories, sodium, trans fat and saturated fat," writes nutritionist and NYU professor Marion Nestle in a recent article for The Atlantic Food Channel. But rather than advertise what could be bad in a product, companies would much prefer to let you know what's good about it, notes Nestle.

According to the press release from GMA, "This program will add important nutrition information on calories and other nutrients..." and "to appeal to busy consumers, the information will be presented in a fact-based, simple and easy-to-use format." We would hope they'd be fact based, but don't think this means you shouldn't look to that table on the back. Companies will focus on the nutrients they do provide, but may choose to omit those facts that can harm.

The Guardian reports that Cadbury Trebor Bassett and Mars, rivals in the world of chocolate confectionery sales, are joining together to support a campaign that places warning labels on chocolates in the UK. The "Be treatwise" campaign was conceived by the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association. It takes a cue from the warning labels on cigarette packaging and encourages placing labels on products that will echo the government’s messages about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Labels will feature a variety of different messages, such as "Be active for 30 minutes" and "Being Active doesn't have to mean sweating at the gym". The labels will also include standard nutritional information, including fat and calorie content.

According to the Heath Status Calorie Calculator, a 150lb person would have to jog for 30 minutes to burn off the number of calories in a Mars bar.

Source