Pollan has a cheap pamphlet cost $5.00

................


http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food_labe...aos_report.pdf

Easier to read above URL

Bill

...............



CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False & Misleading Food Labeling

New Report Makes Case for Ending Food Labeling Chaos

WASHINGTON‹Can orange juice really help prevent or treat arthritis?
That's the implication on the label of a Minute Maid orange juice
fortified with glucosamine hydrochloride "designed to help protect
healthy joints." And it¹s exactly the kind of misleading health claim
that the Center for Science in the Public Interest wants the federal
government to stop. Today the group is sending the Food and Drug
Administration a 158-page report that documents some of the most
egregious examples of false claims, ingredient obfuscations, and other
labeling shenanigans.

((((((( SEE ABOVE URL))))))


Though under the Obama Administration the FDA is sending more warning
letters to food manufacturers about misleading labeling, many major
companies, including Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft, General Mills, and
Nestlé, continue to confuse or defraud consumers about the health
effects, ingredients, or "natural"-ness of their products. Some notable
offenders include:
Kellogg: On labels for Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites cereal, the
company deliberately misreads a report from the Institute of Medicine to
claim, falsely, that consumers can eat 125 grams‹more than half a cup‹of
added sugars per day. CSPI says FDA should establish a Daily Value for
added sugars, require its disclosure on Nutrition Facts panels, and
provide definitions for terms such as "low sugar."
Nestlé: Labels for the company's Carnation Instant Breakfast
misleadingly claim that its antioxidants "help support the immune
system." While it is true that serious deficiencies in vitamins A, C,
and E and other antioxidants can lead to serious health problems,
consuming this or other products that make this common claim won¹t help
ward off colds, the flu, or other maladies.
Kashi: A Kellogg-owned brand, Kashi falsely claims that the green tea in
its Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal will "support healthy arteries." The
FDA does have a so-called qualified health claim for green tea that
relates to cancer but has not agreed that green tea can protect arteries
or fend off heart disease.
Glacéau: The Coca-Cola-owned product bears a confusing double-column
Nutrition Facts label that gives the impression that a 20-ounce bottle
of VitaminWater contains multiple servings. Yet the company knows full
well that the product is typically consumed by one person on a single
occasion, delivering 125 calories, not the 50 in a "serving." CSPI says
the dual-column format should be barred.
Edy's: Labels for Dibs Bite Sized Snacks boast "0g trans fat!"‹giving
the impression that the product is heart-healthy. Yet a serving of this
ice cream snack has 16 grams of saturated fat‹80 percent of the daily
value. CSPI says the FDA should prohibit companies from boasting of "0
grams trans" on foods with more than 1 gram of saturated fat per
serving. FDA already has similar limits on "cholesterol free" and
"healthy" claims.
Thomas': Labels for Thomas' Hearty Grains English Muffins claim that the
food is "made with the goodness of whole grain² and ³made with whole
grains." Yet the primary ingredient is "unbleached enriched wheat
flour," meaning white flour. The product has more water than whole wheat
flour, which is the third ingredient.
Gerber: Labels for Gerber Graduates Juice Treats‹a product intended for
pre-schoolers‹picture an abundance of fruit: oranges, grapes, peaches,
cherries, pineapple, and raspberries. Yet there is no cherry, orange, or
pineapple in the product, and less than 2 percent is raspberry and apple
juice concentrate. The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar,
providing 17 grams‹or about four teaspoons‹of refined sugars per serving.

The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar, not the abundance of
fruit shown on the package, providing 17 grams‹or about four
teaspoons‹of refined sugars per serving.
Minute Maid: The words "all natural" appear on Minute Maid's Cranberry
Apple Cocktail. Yet the product contains added citric acid‹meaning
citric acid that didn¹t occur naturally in the juice. FDA has long held
that adding citric acid disqualifies a company from claiming the food is
all natural. This product also contains high-fructose corn syrup‹the end
result of a highly complex series of chemical changes whereby corn
starch is converted to glucose and fructose. FDA should disallow "all
natural" claims on food that contain HFCS, according to CSPI.
"For far too long, some of the world's biggest food manufacturers have
designed their labels either to exaggerate the amount of healthy
ingredients, or to imply that the food has magical, drug-like qualities
that could prevent or treat various health problems," said CSPI legal
affairs director Bruce Silverglade. "The Bush Administration gave
manufacturers more and more license to deceive. But the party¹s over‹or
at least it should be."
In May, the FDA instructed General Mills to drop exaggerated heart
disease and cancer claims on labels and its web site for its Cheerios
cereal. And in October, FDA expressed concern over the industry-wide
Smart Choices front-of-packaging labeling program. Both moves were
praised by CSPI and were seen as a sign that the agency will more
aggressively police food labeling.
CSPI wants the agency to prohibit qualified health claims for foods.
Unlike "health claims," which must meet a "significant scientific
agreement" standard, qualified health claims include disclaimers
explaining that the scientific evidence is uncertain. CSPI also wants
the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit misleading
"structure/function" claims that a given food will "support" or
"maintain" healthy immune systems, joints, vision, and so on. Consumers
simply can't distinguish between stringently regulated health claims,
which require FDA approval, and structure/function claims, which don¹t,
according to CSPI.
"Consumers need honest labeling so they can spend their food dollars
wisely and avoid diet-related disease," said CSPI senior staff attorney
Ilene Ringel Heller, co-author of the report. "Companies should market
their foods without resorting to the deceit and dishonesty that's so
common today. And, if they don't, the FDA should make them."

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/757.html What is Global Dimming??
Less light more shade world wide food implications

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food_labe...aos_report.pdf

Great report Bill, and I wish the Center for Science in the Public
Interest luck, but these mass food producers spread money around just
like the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and the AMA do. The
people who control the FDA have to run for office every 2 - 6 year$.
Nothing says winning like money in the bank. Yeah, I know, some people
are just too strange, even if they are rich, to win elections, not like
the rest of us ;O).

I'm glad to know that the wheels of government are turing, be it ever
soo slow. Let's just hope that they aren't all Kleptocrats.

Ferns are up, and the mustard is in bloom, here in Northern California.
The buds on our peach trees (2) are swelling. Funny, it feels cold
outside, and because of the tree line and our ivy covered fence, the
peach trees only get broken sunlight, through the trees in the morning.

Again, great report Bill, and I wish the Center for Science in the
Public Interest luck, but these mass food producers spread money around
just like the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and the AMA. The
people who control the FDA have to run for office every 2 - 6 years.
Nothing says winning like money in the bank.
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm

And the hits just keep on coming.

Labels often underestimate calorie count

BY MICHAEL HILL
Associated Press
Dieters can't believe everything they read: The food at many popular
chain restaurants and in the freezer section of the supermarket may
contain a lot more calories than advertised.

A study of 10 chain restaurants, including Wendy's and McDonald's, found
that the number of calories in 29 meals or other menu items was an
average of 18 percent higher than listed.

And frozen supermarket meals from Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy
Choice and South Beach Living had 8 percent more calories than the
labels said, according to the study, published in this month's Journal
of the American Dietetic Association.

. . . The researchers and other experts aren't accusing restaurants and
food companies of trying to deceive customers. They said most of the
discrepancies can be explained by variations in ingredients, portion
sizes and testing methods. For example, the teenager behind the counter
might have put too much mayonnaise on one sandwich.

Still, "if every time you eat out, you get a couple of hundred calories
or more than you think, that can add up really easily," said lead
researcher Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University.
"There's a big drumbeat for people putting calories on menus, but that's
only useful if the calories are right."

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University who was
not involved in the study, said she was not surprised by the findings.
People might think nutrition labels are scientifically precise, but they
are mostly ballpark figures, she said.

"It would never occur to me that the calories posted on menu boards are
anything close to reality," Nestle said.

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/1127548.html


In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

Pollan has a cheap pamphlet cost $5.00

...............


http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food_labe...aos_report.pdf

Easier to read above URL

Bill

..............



CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False & Misleading Food Labeling

New Report Makes Case for Ending Food Labeling Chaos

WASHINGTON‹Can orange juice really help prevent or treat arthritis?
That's the implication on the label of a Minute Maid orange juice
fortified with glucosamine hydrochloride "designed to help protect
healthy joints." And it¹s exactly the kind of misleading health claim
that the Center for Science in the Public Interest wants the federal
government to stop. Today the group is sending the Food and Drug
Administration a 158-page report that documents some of the most
egregious examples of false claims, ingredient obfuscations, and other
labeling shenanigans.

((((((( SEE ABOVE URL))))))


Though under the Obama Administration the FDA is sending more warning
letters to food manufacturers about misleading labeling, many major
companies, including Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft, General Mills, and
Nestlé, continue to confuse or defraud consumers about the health
effects, ingredients, or "natural"-ness of their products. Some notable
offenders include:
Kellogg: On labels for Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites cereal, the
company deliberately misreads a report from the Institute of Medicine to
claim, falsely, that consumers can eat 125 grams‹more than half a cup‹of
added sugars per day. CSPI says FDA should establish a Daily Value for
added sugars, require its disclosure on Nutrition Facts panels, and
provide definitions for terms such as "low sugar."
Nestlé: Labels for the company's Carnation Instant Breakfast
misleadingly claim that its antioxidants "help support the immune
system." While it is true that serious deficiencies in vitamins A, C,
and E and other antioxidants can lead to serious health problems,
consuming this or other products that make this common claim won¹t help
ward off colds, the flu, or other maladies.
Kashi: A Kellogg-owned brand, Kashi falsely claims that the green tea in
its Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal will "support healthy arteries." The
FDA does have a so-called qualified health claim for green tea that
relates to cancer but has not agreed that green tea can protect arteries
or fend off heart disease.
Glacéau: The Coca-Cola-owned product bears a confusing double-column
Nutrition Facts label that gives the impression that a 20-ounce bottle
of VitaminWater contains multiple servings. Yet the company knows full
well that the product is typically consumed by one person on a single
occasion, delivering 125 calories, not the 50 in a "serving." CSPI says
the dual-column format should be barred.
Edy's: Labels for Dibs Bite Sized Snacks boast "0g trans fat!"‹giving
the impression that the product is heart-healthy. Yet a serving of this
ice cream snack has 16 grams of saturated fat‹80 percent of the daily
value. CSPI says the FDA should prohibit companies from boasting of "0
grams trans" on foods with more than 1 gram of saturated fat per
serving. FDA already has similar limits on "cholesterol free" and
"healthy" claims.
Thomas': Labels for Thomas' Hearty Grains English Muffins claim that the
food is "made with the goodness of whole grain² and ³made with whole
grains." Yet the primary ingredient is "unbleached enriched wheat
flour," meaning white flour. The product has more water than whole wheat
flour, which is the third ingredient.
Gerber: Labels for Gerber Graduates Juice Treats‹a product intended for
pre-schoolers‹picture an abundance of fruit: oranges, grapes, peaches,
cherries, pineapple, and raspberries. Yet there is no cherry, orange, or
pineapple in the product, and less than 2 percent is raspberry and apple
juice concentrate. The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar,
providing 17 grams‹or about four teaspoons‹of refined sugars per serving.

The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar, not the abundance of
fruit shown on the package, providing 17 grams‹or about four
teaspoons‹of refined sugars per serving.
Minute Maid: The words "all natural" appear on Minute Maid's Cranberry
Apple Cocktail. Yet the product contains added citric acid‹meaning
citric acid that didn¹t occur naturally in the juice. FDA has long held
that adding citric acid disqualifies a company from claiming the food is
all natural. This product also contains high-fructose corn syrup‹the end
result of a highly complex series of chemical changes whereby corn
starch is converted to glucose and fructose. FDA should disallow "all
natural" claims on food that contain HFCS, according to CSPI.
"For far too long, some of the world's biggest food manufacturers have
designed their labels either to exaggerate the amount of healthy
ingredients, or to imply that the food has magical, drug-like qualities
that could prevent or treat various health problems," said CSPI legal
affairs director Bruce Silverglade. "The Bush Administration gave
manufacturers more and more license to deceive. But the party¹s over‹or
at least it should be."
In May, the FDA instructed General Mills to drop exaggerated heart
disease and cancer claims on labels and its web site for its Cheerios
cereal. And in October, FDA expressed concern over the industry-wide
Smart Choices front-of-packaging labeling program. Both moves were
praised by CSPI and were seen as a sign that the agency will more
aggressively police food labeling.
CSPI wants the agency to prohibit qualified health claims for foods.
Unlike "health claims," which must meet a "significant scientific
agreement" standard, qualified health claims include disclaimers
explaining that the scientific evidence is uncertain. CSPI also wants
the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit misleading
"structure/function" claims that a given food will "support" or
"maintain" healthy immune systems, joints, vision, and so on. Consumers
simply can't distinguish between stringently regulated health claims,
which require FDA approval, and structure/function claims, which don¹t,
according to CSPI.
"Consumers need honest labeling so they can spend their food dollars
wisely and avoid diet-related disease," said CSPI senior staff attorney
Ilene Ringel Heller, co-author of the report. "Companies should market
their foods without resorting to the deceit and dishonesty that's so
common today. And, if they don't, the FDA should make them."
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm