Just when you thought the federal government was doing nothing they made a step towards stopping false claims on food packaging. There are many false claims that we see daily in the supermarket and unfortunately conventional grocery stores do not play the role as a fate keeper. I am a label reader and enjoy reading how the front panel conflicts with the back panel. Unfortunately, retailers have become so caught up in the bottom line they have lost the role of building credibility with consumers that what was in the store was properly labeled. Most retailers have a review committee to over see new items. At the same time there is a Price called slotting that may over step the review of the products integrity for the dollars offered to the retailers to stock. Shame that the retailers you use to know has gone by the way side. Even Natural Retailers have lost their way. Why they make claims of their integrity most buyers are not equipped in Natural to make review products. Unfortunately like in the Wild West Big Retailers and Big Manufacturers can control what we eat….the government is under staffed and is ill equipped to face off with the titans of the food industry….so what else is in my cranberry juice? Can you really have zero trans fats? As Cy Sims would say. ” an educated consumer is our best customers”. It is time to change how America Eats not with a TV show but Consumers pushing back and demanding fair advertising.
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is notifying a number of food manufacturers whose labels contain false or misleading claims, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an open letter to the industry Wednesday.
Among those notified are companies making nutrition claims authorized for use with adults, but not for infants and young children under 2; misleading “healthy” claims that don’t meet well-established definitions for use of the term; trans fat-free claims that lead consumers to believe the product is a healthy choice when it is also high in saturated fat; and juice blends presented as consisting entirely of a single juice.
“These examples and others that are cited in our warning letters are not indiciative of the labeling practices of the food industry as a whole,” said Hamburg in her letter. “In my conversations with industry leaders, I sense a strong desire within the industry for a level playing field and a commitment to producing safe, healthy products.”
The FDA will soon issue new draft guidance for front-of-pack calorie and nutrient labeling and recommendations for nutritional criteria for foods that make dietary guidance statements such as “eat two cups of fruit a day for good health.”
“We intend to work closely with food manufacturers, retailers and others in the design process, and I hope that every food processor will contribute its views on how we can do this in the best way possible,” Hamburg said.