The Center For Science in the Public Interest has released a 158-page report, “Food Labeling Chaos“, detailing the shocking amounts of misleading information prevalent in the food industry.

Everyone has the right to know what they are eating, and we should all be educated in how to find out exactly what our food is. To help us all understand a little more, here is a list of some of the most misleading labels sitting on our nation’s grocery store shelves.

“ALL NATURAL” : “All Natural” was the second most common phrase on new food products in 2008, BUT both the FDA and USDA have extremely loose  rules about using this phrase, and have allowed manufacturers to incorrectly make this claim. According to the study, “products like Hunt’s Tomato Sauce and ‘All Natural’ Snapple Tea contain citric acid as an additive.”  Hunt’s Tomato Sauce’s claim is extremely misleading, since it is  made of reconstituted tomato paste. Also, products containing high-fructose corn syrup (made through complex chemical industrial processes) are even able to get away with using the “All Natural” label.

Certain “All Natural” deli meats have ingredients that are  additives. The USDA also lets meat and poultry products claim to be “All Natural” when injected with beef or chicken broth, which not only increases the sodium levels, but  inflates the weight of the product -  increasing the price.

O GRAMS TRANS FAT: “og Trans Fat” is highlighted on the front of many products these days. This simply draws attention from the fact that many of these products are extremely high in saturated fat and are  misleading consumers who believe they are buying a healthy product. The FDA designates any serving with over 4g to be high in saturated fat. Products like Hot Pockets claim to have “0g Trans Fat” but ironically contain high levels of saturated fat.

NO ADDED SUGARS/LOW SUGAR: The USDA recommends that people limit added sugar consumption to 10 teaspoons (40g) per day (about the amount in one 12oz can of soda).  Shockingly, added sugars and their daily value are not disclosed on the Nutrition Facts Panel, making it extremely hard to figure out the amount of sugar added to products like yogurt and juice.

The FDA regulates claims like “no added sugars,” “sugar free” and “reduced sugars” there is no measure regulating “low sugar.” Also, companies can label their highly sugared foods as “Fat Free,” which often misleads consumers into ignoring sugar content and thinking the product is healthy.

MADE WITH WHOLE GRAINS: The USDA recommends consumers make half of their grains whole.  Many products falsely claim “Made With Whole Grains” on packaging and some even use dark brown colors and deceptive naming to indicate the product is enriched with whole grains. Unfortunately, most of these products actually use ordinary refined wheat flour as the main ingredient.  The FDA does not required them to disclose the percentage of whole grains versus refined ones.

One way to try and decipher whole grains from refined wheat flour is to read the listed ingredients. Ingredients are listed in the order of predominance, so if “Enriched Wheat Flour” is first, but “Whole Wheat Flour” follows it,  there isn’t a large amount of whole grain in the product.

FIBER: Many products promote their fiber content without explaining where the fiber comes from. Traditional sources of intact fibers come from whole grains, beans, veggies and fruits, and are associated with lowering blood cholesterol and blood sugar (as well as helping with regularity). But many products, such as ice cream, yogurt and juice advertise their fiber content, even though it is gained from isolated fibers, like inulin, polydextrose and maltodextrin, which are powders that do not have the same health benefits.

MADE WITH REAL FRUIT: Some food manufacturers are taking advantage of the need to eat more fruits and vegetables and misleading consumers with packaging tricks. For example, fruit snacks display images of  fruits that mysteriously aren’t found in the ingredients.  Other companies fool the consumer with product names, like Knorr Chicken Broccoli fettuccine noodles, which really contain more salt than dehydrated broccoli.

MISLEADING SERVING SIZES: Serving sizes are just plain outdated. The FDAs serving size regulations were enacted in 1993, and were based on surveys done in the 1970s and 1980s. Obviously, consumers eat larger portion sizes these days and nutritional information should reflect that, instead of making the consumer do the math. For example, a standard serving size listed for ice cream is ½ cup and 1 cup for soup. Most people eat way more than that in a sitting, and many items that are usually consumed all at once, like single packaged vending machine items contain multiple servings, and give misleading nutritional information based on such.

SUPPORTS IMMUNE SYSTEM AND MAINTAINS A HEALTHY HEART: Even though the FDA must approve any health claims pertaining to the relationship between a particular nutrient and disease, food manufacturers have found a loophole, using ambiguous claims.  Some of the worst offenders are statements like “helps maintain a healthy heart” or “supports the immune system.” These untruthful statements are not FDA approved, and trick consumers into thinking the product does something for their health, when no scientific research to supports it. Sadly, studies have shown that consumers have an extremely difficult time deciphering whether a claim is ambiguous or a regulated, FDA verified health claim, like “may help reduce the risk of heart disease.”

UNKNOWN CAFFEINE CONTENT: Caffeine is an addictive drug, and is in many foods and beverages, but there are no requirements to disclose its amount in these products. Excessive caffeine intake may increase the risk of miscarriage and infertility in women, increased anxiety, jitteriness and upset stomach. Caffeine also interferes with the brain’s natural sleep regulator, and those who consume it on a regular basis often develop a dependence on it.

While some companies  provide caffeine amounts, there are many products that do not share caffeine content, and contain high levels of it.  For example, A single serving container of Dannon Coffee Yogurt contains 30mg of caffeine, and a single serving of Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate (5 squares) contains 31mg.  One’s daily intake of caffeine can quickly reach unhealthy levels if they lack the ability to monitor it.

Get more information by reading the The CSPI’s full report, or check out the Huffington Post’s slideshow,  “9 Most Misleading Food Labels.”

Tagged as: "Food Labeling Chaos", Center for Science in the Public Interest, Childhood obesity, FDA, food, Food Labels, health, obesity

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An Illinois teacher is taking a stand to shed light on the unhealthy nature of the food offered in public schools. This teacher has pledged to eat cafeteria lunch in her school every day for 2010. Mrs. Q (as she calls herself) is chronicling this experience and the food she eats and also is Tweeting. In order to minimize any backlash on her job, she has chosen to blog anonymously.

Mrs. Q’s school is in a lower economic area of town and therefore, many of her kids get discounted meals. That means a good majority of kids are eating these lunches. And unfortunately, these meals are probably the best food they are getting all day.

This blog is getting national recognition and she has quite a following. It is also quite timely with Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity.

It’s hard to believe that in this day and in this country (especially with all the research and knowledge we have around how important proper nutrition is to bodily function) that food like this is being served in our public schools. This isn’t a new issue but it is surprising that it still is an issue.

Mrs. Q has guest bloggers and some of them show that there are changes being made in other parts of the county. After seeing some of the lunches being offered at Mrs. Q’s school, these changes can’t come fast enough. It will be interesting to what the First Lady’s initiative does to help battle the many issues that are making our kids the fattest they have ever been.

Tagged as: blog, health, Mrs. Q, obesity, school lunch, schools, teacher

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Today, we remember that fateful day eight years ago when our country was attacked. So many lives were lost and if it hadn’t been for the many first responders that responded quickly and appropriately, we may have lost many more people.

September has been named Emergency Preparedness Month (http://www.ready.gov/america/npm09/). Since 9/11/01, many communities and agencies have been preparing for emergencies such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters , pandemic flu and the current threat of H1N1. Please educate and prepare yourself and your family by visiting resources like ready.gov and flu.gov.

Today, let us all remember 9/11 and be thankful for all those that gave their lives.  Also take the time to plan and make sure your family and workplace has an emergency plan in place. We can’t predict what is coming therefore we need to do what we can to be prepared!

Tagged as: 9/11, Emergency preparedness, health, Remembrance

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I have always been an advocate for vegetarian diets, cutting out red meat or even replacing meat with tofu, vegetables or beans a few times a week. But what I haven’t always been a fan of is one of the biggest voices for vegetarianism and veganism – PETA.

The aggressive, bloody and gruesome pamphlets handed out by equally as pushy PETA reps made my skin crawl. I didn’t want the information, or their views shoved down my throat. I had been fed a certain way since I was born, not by choice, but out of the fact that it was on my table at home.

I vividly remember a pamphlet handed to me during a concert in high school. Abused animals, blood, maggots. It was TOO MUCH. I hated them for making me feel that way. I loved animals and had already been experimenting with vegetarianism. But after being so aggressively approached, my aversion wasn’t towards meat. It was towards PETA. I talked with many people, who had the same reaction. The blood, the gore, the ideas being shoved down throats. It was too much to handle. Especially at age 16.

But I grew older, and so did PETA. I don’t recall when my first encounter with a “friendlier” PETA was, but I do remember actually stopping, reading and listening to the PETA activists at the mall. They still had some pretty bloody and hard to swallow brochures. But they had a new message. They urged people to try cutting out meat from their diets once or twice a week. Their extreme views had moved a little more toward the middle. And it was a whole lot easier for me to swallow. Today PETA still has extreme and passionate views, but they have held on to the middle of the road appeal as well. And I actually follow them quite often online.

My point is, that PETA has found an effective way to appeal to the masses by not watering down their passion, but by making it more accessible, offering more realistic options and asking for support, instead of demanding it. I understood how they were helping animals, urging the human race to be healthier and aiding the environment. Check out the current PETA campaigns here.
Now, this approach worked for me in this situation, I am unsure it would in others.

So, when does a middle of the road agenda work best – and when must we stick to our guns? When do we truly show our anger, excitement or disgust with what is going on with the world? When do we become a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Malcolm X? I am unsure.
Thoughts?

Tagged as: activism, advocacy, advocacy for the masses, animal rights, environment, extremism, health, passion, PETA, vegetarianism

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