Health claims on processed food packages are usually nothing more than marketing messages. So when Kellogg’s plasters the word “IMMUNITY” in quadruple font on the front of its Rice Krispies breakfast cereal, we just have to take a peek (thanks to Fooducate reader TD for the heads up).

We took a look at the product nutrition information and at the Rice Krispies website. We’re not sure if this is a new formulation or just a new marketing campaign, but this is what Kellogg’s boasts:

“Now each and every box is fortified with vitamins and nutrients that work together to help support your child’s immunity.”

“The cereal you love, invisibly better”.

Great pitch folks. Now let’s analyze the facts…

Read more…

Last week we wrote about a paper by Milbank Quarterly which found parallels in the behavior of the tobacco industry 50 years ago and the behavior of the food industry today. The authors of the paper did state that there are distinct differences as well (cigarettes are bad. Period. But almost no food can be categorized as just bad.)

It’s disappointing to read the response of the American Dietetic Association, basically siding with the food industry, and not the consumers whom it’s 70,000 dietitians serve.

Instead of stepping up to the plate and demanding a ban on marketing of junk food to kids, creating objective standards for defining what healthy foods are, and dismissing the industry’s “personal responsibility” schtick, Martin Yadrick, President of the American Dietetic Association had this to say:

“When it comes to public health, we have to focus on synergy,…Food labels, trans fat substitutions and many other recent changes have come about because everyone worked together and I think all those involved in these changes recognize that.”

In this regard, his views were broadly resonant with those expressed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association regarding industry’s efforts to move towards healthier formulations. The GMA said that industry had reformulated over 10,000 healthier products and would continue to play its part in tackling obesity.

read more from Food Navigator…

The response of GMA, touting the tiny efforts of the food industry to date,  is to be expected, they are well representing their constituents. But why is the ADA on the wrong side of the discussion?

To be fair, Mr. Yadrick did mention that industry funded studies tend to side with conclusions favorable to the funders, but he did not go as far as to explicitly condemn the practice. It would certainly help us consumers to know food research is not funded by the corporations that have vested interet in the results.

Come to think of it, how can you blame the ADA. Just look to find who pays it bills. Membership fees are not enough to cover the cost of ongoing activities. As a result, the organization has to accept sposnorships from…you guessed it, food corporations.

The Coca Cola Company, PepsiCo, Mars Company, Unilever, General Mills and Kellogg’s, to name the biggies.

In speaking with several RDs across the country, we have heard that these sponsorships are a source of great uncomfort to them, but heck, the membership dues are already quite high for someone living off of a dietitans salary.

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In one sentence: Err on the side of caution – don’t buy a product with peanuts for the time being. If it hasn’t been recalled yet, it may be tomorrow.

As parents and slightly paranoid consumers, when someone tells us everything is fine, we worry. If that someone is an investment manager or the FDA, we worry A LOT.

While just 2 weeks ago consumers were assured that the PBS outbreak was limited, and that they need to watch out for only a few items, it now appears that almost any product containing peanuts in various forms  is being recalled. This is partly due to new findings about the subpar sanitary conditions at the supplier manufacturing plant, which included mold, slime, pests, and rodents. Yikes!

Peanut Corporation of America  expanded its recall to ALL products it manufactured at its plant in the past 2 years! The expanded recall includes dry roasted peanuts,  oil roasted peanuts, granulated peanuts, peanut meal, peanut butter and peanut paste. The firm has supplied hundreds of manufacturers across the country, so the results of this recall have had and will continue to have a ripple effect.

Some previous recalls are being expanded by manufacturers to additional products, and more states. The recal list is growing, almost by the hour. The FDA has contacted over 350 manufacturers concerning possible contamination.

But knowing how underfunded and understaffed the FDA is, does not add confidence that the parents are receiving timely advice. Nor does the fact that recalls are voluntary, which means manufacturers have the last say, instead of the FDA mandating a recall on day one of the outbreak.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you spot someone walking into a supermarket with a list of the 500+ products being recalled in order to find one that isn’t, please let us know. Right now,  parents are reading food labels carefully. May are avoiding anything with the word peanut in the ingredient list. Proceed with caution.

Here’s the Current Recall List: Read more…