It’s  unclear if  New Year weight loss resolutions are the reason, but for the second time in a week, a new front of package nutrition information label has been introduced.

Sara Lee joins the Food Label frenzy and has introduced Nutritional Spotlight. You can download their press release here [PDF]. The system, which is similar to the European GDA labeling, will initially appear on Sara Lee bread, bun, and bagel products. Similar labeling efforts were introduced by Kellogg’s and Mars late last year. The label simplification movement has shifted to high gear in the past few months with the introduction of  pan industry initiatives such as Smart Choices and NuVal. For more details, read our history of product nutrition labeling.

What you need to know:

While the underlying logic of simplyfing the nutrition labels is to be commended, this is a marketing play by Sara Lee, which will most definitely spotlight the positive nutrients in its products, not the negative ones.

What to do at the supermarket:

Choose products that don’t have a long ingredient list. Unprocessed foods are easy to find at the supermarket. Just stick to the perimeter of the stor, where you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy and low fat cuts of meat.

Don’t be fooled by Nutritional Spotlights or other front of label nutrition simplifications created by specific food manufacturers because they are just an another arrow in their quiver of marketing messages.

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