The FDA has been discussing changing food labels to help consumers make healthier choices, but some in the food industry are not waiting for new FDA food labeling guidelines. Consumers need to be aware of possible confusion with these changes. Read on...
"Starting in the next few months, the front of many food packages will prominently display important nutrition information, including calorie, fat and sugar content. The industrywide program was announced Monday by food makers and grocers. "
The administration concluded that “in the end, the label was going to be confusing, because those things would be included out of context, and it could make unhealthy foods appear like they had some redeeming quality,” said an official who was not authorized to discuss the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. For example, the official said, “ice cream would be deemed healthy because it would have calcium in it.”
David A. Kessler, a former F.D.A. commissioner, said the industry should wait for the government to set labeling rules. “What the industry is proposing can make something look healthier than it really is,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/business/25label.html?_r=1&ref=business
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