The last time I checked, choosing sugary morning cereals or caramel covered popcorn wasn’t such a smart choice. Well, it seems that the FDA agrees and has put some heat on a group of food makers including Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, and General Mills for applying the label you see here on some of their foods whose nutrition values might not seem so smart.
Be careful if you choose your foods based on this label. Some of them may not be such a good idea.
The “Smart Choices” group was told by the FDA that they would be held accountable for any inaccurately labeled foods and as a result they have decided to “postpone active operations and not encourage wider use of the logo while the FDA investigates labeling issues.”
The Smart Choices group still stands by their label, however. They say that their labeling system is based on USDA nutritional guidelines. But critics say that the nutrition standards used are far too lenient and that the program was created to suggest that processed foods are nutritious.
Usually, I’m not one to preach about what you should be eating or not eating. I make good choices and bad ones, just like everyone else. But food labels shouldn’t be misleading. People have enough problems making healthy food choices without being misinformed. Personally, I have a lot of doubt about a label that tries to bill Fruit Loops and Cracker Jacks as a “Smart Choice.”
Thanks FDA.
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Hi there,
I came across your blog a while back when searching for weight loss/fitness success stories and have been browsing through some of your entries. Congratulations! I recently started my own blog on the same topic – http://www.getfitgloucester.com. I’m 57 and weigh 80 lbs. less than I did 5 years ago. I’m writing to inspire others with my success, especially folks in my own town.
Some of your posts make me think that you’re being a little hard on yourself. You’ve made amazing improvements in your heath and fitness! Celebrate that success every day while working on the goals you still want to achieve.
Best of luck,
Cathy
@Cathy. Thanks for the kudos. I am very proud of my accomplishments and yes, sometimes I am hard on myself. Part of the reason for this is that I know how to be successful, and I was very successful for a long time. But I’m just not applying what I learned (am still learning) to my life very well at this moment. I know it’s a phase, and I know I’ll snap out of it. It just may take a little bit of time. Keep working hard. Mac
I agree with you. I never understood those labels either. I think they are right up there with the No Transfat labels on everything. This Snickers has no Transfat? Wow, that must mean its good for me to eat. Its the product manufacturers job to make money and they will do whatever they can to make their product appeal to the masses, even misrepresentation.
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It reminds me of the manufacturer’s association (NYSNA — that’s not the state Nurses Association, it’s the School Nutrition Association) that’s produced a “healthy snacks” list for my kids’ elementary school.
So we get more or less reasonable guidelines: “Total Fat= 7 grams or less Sat Fat = 2 grams or less Sodium= 360mg or less Sugar=15 grams or less 1 serving per Pkg.” So Oreos, Doritos and Fruit Roll-ups are in. But a medium apple must make a horrible snack, because a) not *manufactured* by anyone, and b) more than 15 grams of sugar/serving.
@ Katy: As a stay at home dad of two kids under 5, I understand that in the “easy vs. better” argument, easy often wins out. But slicing up an apple is almost as easy as opening a bag of oreos. At some point, the benefits of “better” have to outweigh the time saved of “easy” or we’re going to be a fat nation for a long time!
Hmm. 15 grams of sugar? Well…if they’re talking about ADDED sugar, I think that is a lax guideline. The max recommended added sugar for an adult woman is 25 grams (per American Heart Association, http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/25/aha.sugar.added/index.html). It doesn’t say for children, but a can of soda has 39 grams. 15 for a snack would be more than half the max for an adult woman. The key is ADDED sugars. Your apple has zero added sugars. I think it was a politically-correct way for the AHA to say not to eat processed foods.
Yes, when the “trans fat” thing was a big concern, I remember seeing an ad for KFC where the husband hesitates to eat the fried chicken on the counter. The wife says “It has zero grams of trans fats per serving.” Then the husband dives in with abandon. Oh wow! Trans fat free (per serving)! So it must be health food!
The sad thing is, they wouldn’t air that kind of ad if it wasn’t effective on at least a percentage of people. I lived in the inner city a few years ago and as we sat outside, our neighbors were picnicking on their front porch. I heard someone tell his grandson, “Finish all of your hot dog or you can’t have any ice cream.” A lot of people simply have no interest or education in nutrition, and may buy Froot Loops with a green checkmark rather than store-brand oatmeal, simply because they don’t have time to figure this stuff out, and hey, Junior likes Froot Loops better anyway.
@Courtney. That’s a very important distinction to make: added sugar vs. natural sugar. Thanks alot!