Food Makers Devise Own Label Plan

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

Starting in the next few months, the front of many food packages will prominently display important nutrition information, including calorie, fat and sugar content. The industrywide program was announced Monday by food makers and grocers.

The executives who made the announcement repeatedly invoked the campaign against obesity initiated by Michelle Obama, the first lady, saying they had developed the voluntary labeling plan after she challenged them to help consumers make more healthful food choices.

But in fact, the industry went its own way after months of talks with the White House and the Food and Drug Administration broke down.

The Obama administration wanted the package-front labels to emphasize nutrients that consumers might want to avoid, like sodium, calories and fat. But manufacturers insisted that they should also be able to use the labels to highlight beneficial nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and protein.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/business/25label.html

[Newest Reality]

1. I want to know about things like:

Genetically modified grains, vegetables, etc.

Hormones and antibiotics used in meats and dairy.

Cloned meats.

They don't want to tell me about these things, do they? They already know what some of us want to avoid.

[Maat]

8. +1 (n/t)

[bemildred]

9. +2.

They are already free to tell us the facts about anything that moves their fancy. Government regulation is about making them tell us the stuff they do not want to tell us.

[unkachuck]

11. "They don't want to tell me about these things..."....exactly....

....they want to, "...be able to use the labels to highlight beneficial nutrients..."

....or to put it another way, they want an opportunity to do more confusing advertisement with distraction....

....I can see it now, '...our vitamin enriched crap is much better for you than our competitors' lesser enriched crap...'

[boppers]

12. Cloned meats?

Is that anything like a human-mouse hybrid?

[targetpractice]

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup content? n/t

[plumbob]

7. Yep, it's in everything, once you start looking. Check out a ketchup

bottle, even.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Not to worry. None of this stuff is for people. It is all for "consumers".

The entire article talks about ...consumers.
Who are apparently too dumb to understand that heavily processed foods have no innate nutrition.

fortunately, some of us ...people.....do get it.

[underpants]

4. Food Makers Devise Own Label Plan

Source: NY Times



But in fact, the industry went its own way after months of talks with the White House and the Food and Drug Administration broke down.

The Obama administration wanted the package-front labels to emphasize nutrients that consumers might want to avoid, like sodium, calories and fat. But manufacturers insisted that they should also be able to use the labels to highlight beneficial nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and protein.

The administration concluded that “in the end, the label was going to be confusing, because those things would be included out of context, and it could make unhealthy foods appear like they had some redeeming quality,” said an official who was not authorized to discuss the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. For example, the official said, “ice cream would be deemed healthy because it would have calcium in it.”


The labeling system was developed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group that represents retailers, who often contract with food makers to create store brands. The groups said their members, which include a vast majority of food manufacturers and retailers, would begin using the new labels in the coming months. In the fall, they plan to begin a $50 million advertising campaign to promote the initiative.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/business/25label.html?hp

[liberal N proud]

5. Easier to read than the current nutrition information printed on packages

[WhiteTara]

6. that's a lot of sodium for a daily intake. n/t

[stlsaxman]

10. sure- if you have high blood pressure. Otherwise, salt's pretty harmless.