FDA’s Proposed Nutrition Facts Labels to Contain Inaccurate Information

by Catherine J. Frompovich

“As consumers and as parents, we have a right to understand what’s in the food we’re feeding our families because that’s really the only way that we can make informed choices – by having clear, accurate information.”  — FLOTUS Michelle Obama, Fourth anniversary celebration, Let’s Move! Campaign [1]

According to Food Safety News [2],

Key aspects of FDA’s proposed changes include:

• A greater emphasis — with larger and bolder type — on calories.
• Listing an Added Sugars value: The food industry is likely to take issue with this aspect of the proposal. “They do not want consumers to know how much sugar they are adding, especially since so many health authorities are relating sugar intake to obesity.”
• Calories from fat would no longer be listed. (But total, saturated and trans fat will still be required.)
• Updated serving sizes that better reflect what people actually eat. Serving sizes are not a recommendation but simply a lens through which people can understand nutrition.
• The number of servings per package will be more prominent.
• Updated Daily Values for various nutrients and shifting the Percent Daily Value (%DV) to the left of the label. FDA wants to help consumers visually and quickly put nutrient information in context.
• A slight decrease in the Daily Value for sodium from 2,400 to 2,300 milligrams.
• Amounts of potassium and Vitamin D would be required on the label, while listing Vitamins A and C would become voluntary. 

Something is conspicuously missing, though, Mrs. Obama and FDA!

If, as FLOTUS Obama says, consumers and parents have the right to understand what’s in the food we’re feeding our families, how come GMO ingredient labeling is missing from the soon-to-be-implemented FDA revised Nutrition Facts labels?

Without printed indication on food packaging and labels whether the contents/ingredients contain GMOs, e.g., corn, soy, canola, etc., no one has clear, accurate information.

Not to bring politics into this discussion, Mrs. Obama, but what happened to the campaign promise your husband made to the world about transparency? Nothing is more transparent than the apparent hidden agenda to keep U.S. consumers from knowing we are eating GMOs.

Can’t you please do something to change that – even “pillow talk” – that would get those new food labels to have clear, accurate information? All children, especially those with food allergies and gastrointestinal problems, will benefit from parents having accurate food information.

Thanks for whatever you can do.

However, in the meantime, consumers will have an opportunity to get into the act, too. Food Safety News says,

The proposed rules will be published to the Federal Register and a 90-day comment period opened. FDA plans to finish the final rule by 2015 and then give industry two years to put the new rules into effect. [3] 

Readers, here will be your chance to facilitate positive and accurate changes on food labels. I encourage everyone concerned about factual, clear, accurate information to voice your opinions and suggestions as soon as the FDA opens the 90-day comment period.  

Notes:

[1] http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/02/25/michelle-obama-visits-miami-to-promote-fitness/
[2] http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/02/nutrition-facts-label-to-get-major-updates/#.UxCZmBSPL9J
[3] Ibid.

Resources:

Planning Healthy Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label  
http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2014/02/planning-healthy-changes-to-the-nutrition-facts-label/

Investigation: Breakfast cereal “fruits” and “berries” are faked; made from crazy chemicals
http://www.naturalnews.com/fake-fruit-breakfast-cereals.html

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).