Food Labeling

FDA Regulations on Labels

The FDA has strict guide lines for labels such as reduced fat, high fiber and low sodium. They come into play when the label is figuring out how much is in a serving of their product. “Low” and “Reduced” do not mean the same thing.  There are percentage guidelines and amount by the gram guidelines depending on which line you are looking at. For a product to be considered “Cholesterol Free” it must have less than 2 mg per RACC per serving. For it to be in the “Less” category it must have 20 mg or less per RACC per serving and for a “Reduced” label it must have 25% less per RACC than another referenced food deemed appropriate for comparing. Or in other words the “reduced” version must have 25% less fat than the original. (RACC stands for Reference Amount Customarily Consumed).  The reduced fat amount usually has more fat than the low fat amount because the label “low fat” can only be used if there is less than 3 grams of fat per serving and 30% or less of total calories. Anything labeled “High Fiber” must have more than 5 grams of fiber per serving. This is a label producers want known that it is high because fiber helps to regulate and ‘clean’ your system. High fiber amounts usually have to be processed specifically to add that amount into a product.

“Natural” and “Organic” frequently get mistaken for the term healthy. “Healthy” has strict criteria that the product must meet of the amounts of fat, cholesterol, vitamins and other nutrients on the label. “Organic” refers to the origin of what it was made with and “natural” foods can have a high amount of fat or cholesterol in it. 

Specific terms saying that a food helps your heart cannot be used unless there are studies that back the claim. However labels implying healthy choices can be used without regulation. Terms in this case include ‘may help lower cholesterol’ or ‘leads to a healthy heart.’ In a restaurant the term “heart healthy” can be used as long as the nutrition label for that food is not required up front and on the menu but can be provided upon request from the customer. 

GMO Labeling

The GMO label is the subject of hot debate right now. It is estimated that about 70% of all processed foods contain a GM ingredient such as corn or soy. Currently the US does not require GM food or products to be labeled but it will be voted on in the near future. Europe does require GM foods to be labeled and this has allowed consumers to keep the amount of GMOs consumed very low.

The New UK Label System

Just like the US, the UK has been battling obesity and they have decided to use the ‘traffic light’ labeling system on their food packaging to help. Instead of many numbers showing amounts of different components that may not mean anything to many consumers the labels will now be labeled with high, medium or low. The individual calories, fat, salt, sugar, etc. will still contain the amount that is in the labeled food but will be surrounded by a green, yellow or red box with the high, medium and low labels.

The unhealthiest foods would theoretically have more red labels and the healthier foods would have more green and yellow labels. If this labeling technique is voted in then the debate and fight for a better front of the box labeling system is likely to end because the colors and larger print would catch the eye and be easier to quickly understand. It would be what they were fighting for and it would make it easier to make healthier choices in the isles. There are already many front of the package labeling systems in pace but this traffic light system would make it less confusing by using one standard method and it would make the rest of the foods get that label on the front of the box.

Trading Differences because of Labels

The US and Europe have been in heated debate for a while about importing and trading different types of cheeses and now a full free trade pact is halted because of origin labeling of Parmesan. Europe wants the label Parmesan to be reserved for cheeses that originate from Italy as we have agreed Champagne is reserved for sparkling wines originating from France but the US does not want that. The US argues that the term Parmesan entered the common usage a while ago. I agree with the US that Parmesan should not be restricted just as the term hamburger and feta are not. This protection of a widely used term could be applied to many other products that are manufactured in many different places and could cause the product-by-product based recognition discussions to fall.

 

There is already EU discussions with Canada that could ban many US products from their market. As a final thought, geographically marked products are selling better than generic competitors and can hold their own in the competition.

Changes to the US Label

Something I am sure that anyone watching what they eat can relate to is being fixed, the label on the back of all of our foods is going to be getting a makeover. The most obvious and possibly the most important change will be that the serving size for the amount of calories in a container is going to match the container’s individual size and fit closer to an amount that we actually eat in one serving. Potassium and Vitamin D are going to start to be required on the label since there are people in the US who are not getting enough of them and Vitamin A and C will be optional. The daily values of a few of the nutrients will also be tweaked. Sodium and dietary fiber are two that the percent daily value on the label will be revised to help consumers make better choices for a total daily diet. There are a few lines about fat on the label but now “Calories from Fat’” will be removed because research has shown that the type of fat is more important that how much fat is in a serving. “Trans Fat” and “Saturated Fat” would stay and draw more attention because of this. 

These changes are being made based on new research and studies in order to help consumers make better choices. Personally, I would vote for it just for the rule of changing the serving size. I have never wanted to start counting calories because you need a measuring cup just to get started and be able to estimate your numbers correctly. Many weight loss programs require you to do this and keep up with your serving sizes and now it is easier to do. For anyone just counting calories you don’t have to continuously multiply and measure out small servings, you can drink the full can of soda or take a handful of cereal and find your calorie amount in a simpler way. Even for the regular consumer this can make a small impact. The label will be bigger and people want to eat healthier even if they do not count calories. Larger, more realistic serving sizes will help people take a quick second look at what they are buying.