FDA could pull foods over labeling
The agency is cracking down of front-of-package labeling that doesn't comply with standards.
Photo: Chasqui/Flickr - Nutrient-content claims that FDA has authorized for use on foods for adults are not permitted on foods for children under 2. Such claims are highly inappropriate when they appear on food for infants and toddlers because it is well-known that the nutritional needs of the very young are different than those of adults.
- Claims that a product is free of trans fats, which imply that the product is a better choice than products without the claim, can be misleading when a product is high in saturated fat, and especially so when the claim is not accompanied by the required statement referring consumers to the more complete information on the Nutrition Facts panel.
- Products that claim to treat or mitigate disease are considered to be drugs and must meet the regulatory requirements for drugs, including the requirement to prove that the product is safe and effective for its intended use.
- Misleading “healthy” claims continue to appear on foods that do not meet the long- and well-established definition for use of that term.
- Juice products that mislead consumers into believing they consist entirely of a single juice are still on the market. Despite numerous admonitions from FDA over the years, we continue to see juice blends being inaccurately labeled as single-juice products.
- FDA goes after front of package labeling
- Making over the nutrition facts label
- Lean Cuisine: Not as lean as its packaging
- Taking Hot Pockets to task with an artist's view of the nutrition label
MNN homepage photo: Russel A. Daniels/AP file photo
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Comments
In response to seeont "whole" as in grain, wheat,etc. If a person is lookng closely to the nutrition facts and the ingredients, then seeing "whole" as a good thing. However4, one word to stay away from is enriched. Anything enriched has been processed.
one thing i wish the big food companies couldn't do is label 0 grams trans fat on a package. in fact, this misleading lie means LESS than a gram trans fat PER SERVING!!!! this means that they reduce the per serving amount of product until the total trans fat content is LESS THAN A GRAM. then they are allowed to say 0 grams!!! how convenient.
you've got it on the "zero" claim.....people don't understand that a huge box of junk probably has lots of sugar, fat, salt, etc. but if you look at just a small serving (smaller than the regular person eats), it *appears* to be "LIte."
Best idea - don't eat anything packaged. Seriously.
....is that the word "whole" appears as the first or second ingredient, whether whole wheat, oats, rye, or another grain. One way to double-check is to look at the fiber content on the nutrition facts panel. Whole-grain foods should deliver at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.
also look out for artificial colorings that are often found in cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods, especially those marketed to children. They're noted on the ingredients list by their color name, such as Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40, Red 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, and Orange B.
