Some Truths About Food Labeling
What’s in Your Processed Foods?
I remember learning from an employee of a large processed food company
that the largest department within their company was Marketing. Since
this company is primarily a food company, shouldn’t their largest
division have something to do with food? My point is that packaging,
labeling and advertising may not adequately represent what you are
actually getting if the primary concern of the manufacturer is selling
products and not what they make them out of. This is why I advocate
eating as close to nature as possible, but we all know that this is not
always easy.
Back in 1990, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) was
passed in an effort to inform consumers about what they were eating
from a nutritional perspective. The Nutrition Fact Labels were supposed
to provide accurate content in terms standard serving measurement,
calories and a breakdown of the constituent elements (Fats, Carbs,
Sodium, etc). For instance if you were seeking to maintain a diet low
in saturated fat, the Nutrition Facts Label should be a good indicator
of what the product and each serving size contained. However in 1 out
of ten cases, the measurements are off. Why is this the case? The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the federal labeling rules
for 80% of our food supply. Unfortunately, the FDA is not doing a very
good or thorough job. One of the problems arises because the agency
does not test for label compliance. Since the 1990’s the FDA has not
done any random label sampling. As a result, there is no oversight for
what the companies are claiming on their labels. In a few cases where
the FDA finds fault, they are not monitoring the corrections with
follow up testing. In essence, the changes may never be made.
In addition, the percentages of the reported Fats, Carbs, Protein, etc.
for a product are based on recipes of the product before it is made. A
product’s recipe is handed over to the FDA and they tell you the
percentages. The actual product is never tested. The recipe doesn’t
take into account variables such as extra oil added during
manufacturing or dark chicken meat or skin that the supplier may mix in
with what is supposed to be only white meat. These
additions/substitutions would change the percentages as they have
different chemical and nutritional values.
Ingredient labels are a necessary way to get a complete nutritional
profile of a processed food item but are often not read. People on many
occasions only read the Nutrition Facts Label and assume that they are
well informed as to the true nutritive value of the packaged/prepared
food product. The ingredient labels give you a more in depth look at
what is in a product, and they can also fill you in on hidden
ingredients. A good example of this is placing two products side by
side and comparing their ingredients labels.
The Nutrition Facts Labels are very similar and may lead you to believe
that the items are indeed similar and nutritionally sound. In reality,
these two products are very different. You would only know this by
looking at the ingredients label.
The item on the left contains minimally processed ingredients, while
the item on the right is laden with chemicals and hidden ingredients.
By the way, TBHQ is part of the butane family, the stuff that is put in
disposable lighters. 
The marketing of a product can also confuse and deceive the consumer. A
prime example of this is showcased through an excellent report that
Mike Adams of www.naturalnews.com compiled in a photo essay entitled: Pomegranate and Blueberry Juice Consumer Shopping Guide.
The report compares the labels and ingredients of several popular
pomegranate juice brands. The article also explains the health benefits
of a pomegranate and other factors to look for when making juice
choices.
As we may not always have the option of eating straight from nature,
you can find choices that are minimally processed by thoroughly looking
at all the labeling on the packing. Organic processed foods tend to be
minimally processed and do not contain many of the toxic ingredients
found in conventional foods.
Come to HealthWalk and work with our Functional Nutritionist on what and how to eat to nourish your body. At HealthWalk we can test and work with you on your Hormonal and Adrenal profile, your Functional Biomarker
profile, and all aspects of your health and nutrition so that you are
well informed to make the optimal choices in each situation for your
health and wellbeing.
An educated consumer is always the best tool in the market. Be well, live healthy, live green!
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