Comments on: Six Reasons “Smart Choices” Food Labeling Won’t Help Shoppers

By: Brady

Brady — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:14:57 +0000

This was written by a true conservative! lol…the label should meet more strict guid lines by the govenment. Is it too liberal to ask what’s in my food?

By: Lila

Lila — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:40:05 +0000

Daria: If labels are not clear how can consumers make informed choices? Try going to the supermarket with your three-year old around and take the time to look at each package front and back, compare brands, etc … please! Consumers CARE, but industry is clever: their marketing, ads, packages are all carefully studied to make you buy and the cheapest process they can use to make your food, despite the effects on your health, they’ll go for it!! Be real!

By: staff

staff — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:58:29 +0000

We respectfully disagree with the notion that it is up to consumers to decide for themselves. Not when we are bombarded everyday with junk food at every turn, not when kids get hooked on sugar and fat from the day they are born through marketing on TV, foods, and toys.

Finland, for example, through federal initiative, reduced the national sodium intake by 50% over the course of 25 years.

The UK is aggressively requiring manufacturers to phase out 6 potentially unsafe food colorings.

Generally, the EU requires a substance to be proven safe before it is allowed for use, but in the US you have to prove it’s dangerous before it’s banned.

The government’s role is to protect it’s citizens. Ours is not doing enough to protect us from the food industry’s constant need to grow revenue.

By: Daria

Daria — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:44:08 +0000

While I do believe the real initiative of these programs is to sell more product, as you do, I also believe that ultimately it is up to us consumers to change our food industry. If we stopped buying the junk food, manufacturers would stop making it.

We have to educate ourselves on the foods that are really healthy for us instead of relying on the FDA and food manufacturers to guide our decisions! Unforuntately there are many people out there who don’t care enough about themselves to read food labels, and it doesn’t matter if you put the information right there in their faces. If they like their Twinkies they are going to keep buying them. Ultimately we can only worry about ourselves, and I’m so glad blogs like this exist to help us.