Food Nutrition Labels: Six Catches You Need to Know

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http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/11/2/labels.htm

 

 

Food Nutrition Labels: Six " Catches " You Need to Know

by www.SixWise.com

 

Most foods are required to carry nutrition labels to provide, as the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, " distinctive,

easy-to-read formats that enable consumers to more quickly find the

information they need to make healthful food choices. "

 

But despite being regulated by the FDA and the U.S. Department of

Agriculture, food manufacturers can, and do, get away with adding

confusing or deceptive information to the labels. Sometimes this is

done inadvertently, but often it's done with the specific intention of

making you think the food is better for you than it actually is.

 

Reading the labels can be tricky, so here are the six top nutrition

label " catches " to watch out for on your next trip to the grocery store.

 

1. Serving Size. Many processed foods that are packaged as a single

serving actually contain two or more servings. According to the

Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990, a food item in a

relatively small container may be labeled as a single serving if the

entire contents can " reasonably be expected to be consumed in a

single-eating occasion. " However, there is often a discrepancy.

 

Consider " Big Grab " potato chips or Doritos and " Big Gulp " drinks.

Most people buy them with the intention of eating or drinking the

whole thing. But an average serving of a soft drink is 12 ounces. Some

of the Big Gulp drinks can be up to 64 ounces--more than five cans of

soda! As for potato chips, a serving size can vary depending on the

package. A single-serving snack size bag of chips, of course, has

fewer calories than a larger, but still single-serving, size of the

same snack.

 

Other items to watch out for include large muffins (which often

contain two servings), bagels, " individual " ice cream containers (some

contain 4 servings), and personal size pizzas.

 

2. Exempt Ingredients. Food labels list ingredients in descending

order. The most prevalent ingredient is first, the least is last.

However, ingredients that constitute less than 2 percent can be listed

in any order after the heading " contains less than 2% of the following. "

 

Other ingredients called " incidental additives " do not have to be

listed on labels. These include substances transferred to food via

packaging and " ingredients of other ingredients " that are present at

" insignificant levels " and have no " technical or functional effect. "

 

Natural and artificial flavors are also often grouped together under

one name, and manufacturers aren't required to disclose what

" artificial flavors " really means. The exception here is a new ruling

by the FDA, to begin January 1, 2006, that states any food containing

a " major food allergen " must have it listed on the label (whether or

not its part of flavoring or incidental additives). Major food

allergens include milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy

and wheat, as well as food ingredients containing proteins derived

from any of these food categories.

 

3. All Natural. Food products that claim to be all natural may in fact

include unnatural ingredients. According to Mike Adams, the " Health

Ranger, " " [The term all-natural] actually has no nutritional meaning

whatsoever and isn't truly regulated by the FDA. "

 

" The reality is that natural isn't always safe, and products with the

'natural' labeling are not required by law to contain only natural

ingredients,'' said Linda Golodner, president of the National

Consumers League. " … Consumers think of words like 'safe' and 'good

for me' when they think of natural, but across the board -- from

prescription drugs to food products -- many of these natural claims

are misleading at best.''

 

4. Free From … The FDA allows food manufacturers to round to zero any

ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving. So while

a product may claim to be " gluten-free " or " alcohol-free, " it can

legally contain up to 0.5 grams per serving. While this may seem like

an insignificant amount, over time this small fraction can add up.

 

Case in point, many food products that claim to have no dangerous

trans fats list partially hydrogenated oil in their ingredients label.

Partially hydrogenated oil creates trans fats, so these labels may be

taking advantage of the rounding to zero option.

 

" If there's less than 0.5 gram of trans fats per serving, the food

manufacturer may round down to zero, " says D. Milton Stokes, R.D., a

New York City-based nutritionist. " It's an FDA rule, and it happens

with all foods. "

 

5. Unfamiliar Terms for Unsavory Ingredients. Food manufacturers are

known to use " clean labels, " in which they hide ingredients they know

consumers would rather not have in their foods under names they won't

recognize.

 

For instance, if you're trying to avoid MSG, you need to look for all

of the following terms, as they all contain MSG:

 

* Autolyzed yeast

* Calcium caseinate

* Gelatin

* Glutamate

* Glutamic acid

* Hydrolyzed protein

* Monopotassium glutamate

 

 

 

* Monosodium glutamate

* Sodium caseinate

* Textured protein

* Yeast extract

* Yeast food

* Yeast Nutrient

 

6. Misleading Ingredient Claims. Sometimes, foods that claim to

include healthy ingredients actually don't contain them, or only

contain them in miniscule amounts. Common offenders are blueberry

waffles with no blueberries and strawberry yogurt with no

strawberries. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

recently asked the FDA to " immediately stop misleading food labels, "

including:

 

*

 

Kellogg's Eggo Nutri-Grain Pancakes: The label says they're made

with whole wheat and whole grain, but they're made primarily of white

flour and contain more high-fructose corn syrup than whole wheat or

whole grain.

*

 

Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix: Contains only carrot

powder as the 19th ingredient on the label.

*

 

Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Fruit Juice Snacks: The primary

ingredients are corn syrup and sugar.

 

" Food manufacturers are shamelessly tricking consumers who are trying

to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, " said CSPI director

of legal affairs Bruce Silverglade. " Too many processed foods contain

only token amounts of the healthful ingredients highlighted on labels

and are typically loaded with fats, refined sugars, refined flour, and

salt, in various combinations. "

 

Recommended Reading

 

How Many Insect Parts and Rodent Hairs are Allowed in Your Food? More

Than You Think … and Maybe Than You Want to Know!

 

Those Who Don't Diet are Better at Improving Health Than Those Who Do Diet

 

Sources

 

Allergen Labeling Becomes Law

 

Stop Labeling Lies

 

Men's Health

 

All-Natural Claim on Food Labels is Often Deceptive

 

Center for Science in the Public Interest