Food industry FAIL: Foods promoted as healthy for kids—surprise!—are mostly not

[marmar]

from Grist:




Food industry FAIL: Foods promoted as healthy for kids—surprise!—are mostly not

by Tom Laskawy
19 Jan 2011 9:24 AM


Anyone who followed the fracas over the food industry's now abandoned "Smart Choices" label -- the "healthy food" label that somehow allowed products like Froot Loops to qualify -- should have realized that Big Food can't resist the temptation to stretch the truth when it comes to front-of-package labeling. But a new study released today by the California-based Prevention Institute should represent the final nail in the coffin of the corpse that is food industry self-regulation.

The "Claiming Health: Front-of-Package Labeling of Children's Food" study examined over 50 products that food companies advertise as their healthiest for children -- "Smart Choices" was but one front-of-package label of many others still in use. In the spirit of fairness, the study authors didn't go looking for crap food: they selected products from an industry-created list that was part of its own "Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative," which selects products the industry has itself determined to meet good nutritional standards. From that list, the study authors then selected products with some type of "healthier for you" front-of-package labels and analyzed them using nutritional standards based on the National Academy of Science's 2005 "Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

The researchers concluded that in fact, 84 percent of those products did not meet these basic nutritional standards.

Some highlights:

* More than half (57 percent) of the study products qualified as high sugar, and an astonishing 95 percent of products contained added sugar.
* More than half (53 percent) were low in fiber.
* More than half (53 percent) of products did not contain any fruits or vegetables; of the fruits and vegetables found, half came from just two ingredients -- tomatoes and corn.
* 24 percent of prepared foods were high in saturated fats.
* More than one-third (36 percent) of prepared foods and meals were high in sodium.

Keep in mind, these are not simply foods marketed to children. These are foods advertised as healthy for kids! ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/article/food-2011-01-19-food-industry-fail-unhealthy-food-for-kids

[tridim]

1. My favorite unhealthy "healthy" food is Campbell's soup.

It's basically just salt water, with non-nutritive chunks of soggy vegetables and pasta. Look at the label some time, there is nothing in there worth consuming.

[Marblehead]

2. I make soup

out of an old shoe that is better than Campbells "soup"

[Monk06]

3. I have two gallons of stocks and soups in my freezer that I made from

vegetable scraps and chicken bones that most people throw away.

Brocolli stems, onion ends, garlic too small to use plus any
leftover vegetables from dinner go right into a pot that simmers
away for four hours a day. When I get enough I skim out the bones,
fat and veg residue then filter and freeze the broth.

Cooking the broth on a low heat is cheap and the ingredients are
free or at least already paid for. When you throw food away you
are throwing away money.

Note these broths are very flavorful and I reduce some of them
until they are demi glace and there isn't a speck of salt in them.

Processed food is not food

[myrna minx]

4. I'm starting to do this myself. Do you have a favorite vegetable

combination that creates a flavorful stock?

[Luminous Animal]

7. I use Bittman's advice and roast the vegetables

for 45-minutes to an hour then deglaze the pan with a couple of cups of water before throwing everything in the stock pot with a couple of quarts of water (I'll also add scraps that were too small to roast evenly with the rest of the vegetables), a half a cup white wine, and peppercorns. The combination I like best is onions or leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms, and some herbs. What I don't like to add is celery leaves. For me, they leave the stock a little bitter.

I also take his advice and add one tablespoon of soy sauce to every four cups of water. For some stocks I add seaweed and omit the soy sauce.

[myrna minx]

8. I would have added celery - so thank you for your advice - I'll leave out the celery.

I'm so excited about making my own stock because the Imagine and Pacific products are so high in sodium. Thanks for your help. :hi:

[Luminous Animal]

9. Oh no. I ADD celery. I do not add celery leaves! Please leave in the celery!!!

[myrna minx]

10. LOL - I'm apparently sleep reading - thanks.

:D

[Monk06]

12. I make a basic stock that can then be used for a reduction or a soup

No salt no herbs or spices. Just chicken bones or pork or beef
bones for the appropriate use. To that I add course green vegetables
Broccoli stalks, onion and green beans cuttings, carrot cuttings etc.
you can also use beet greens, kale and other course leaf vegetables.

Then I keep reducing and adding bones and veg for several days.

Then remove bones and veg and start again adding more bones and veg to the
stock, adding and reducing for about three weeks.

Then I strain, filter and freeze the stock.

I do the final reduction when cooking where I will take 1 pint of stock and
de glaze a pan with wine and reduce 50% to make a sauce. Only then to I ad
spices or herbs and if salt, sea salt in small amounts.

[myrna minx]

18. Thank you so much. n/t

[DeadEyeDyck]

5. veggie yum

[Marblehead]

11. i

put a dash of soy sauce and worcester in the stock...

[Monk06]

13. If I'm going to use the stock for soup, two tablespoons of Miso paste and a dash of Vietnamese

vegetarian soy. I use a light one like Chen Chen by Star Trading
made in Thailand. (www.startrading.com)

Don't waste expensive aged soy sauces on soup. No point

[Monk06]

14. Oh and don't ad celery. Some crazy person upthread is trying to spoil the broth with celery LOL

[Odin2005]

16. Venison strew in a crockpot = YUM!

[Monk06]

17. Don't forget to save those bones and gristle. Venison broth Mmmmmmmmm

Throw a few sprigs of rosemary in the broth along with any
left over stew.

[Luminous Animal]

6. DO we allow poison to be advertized to children?

Why yes we do!

[Odin2005]

15. Anything marketed as "kids food" is probably unhealthy crap.