Food warning labels

(KM) #1

Ah, the idiots are at it again. The US FDA is proposing warning labels on processed foods, basically red yellow or green / low-medium-high bars on the front of products warning of excess added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. One out of three ain’t bad? Sigh. Cheerios would, for example, under this new proposal get green bars on saturated fat and added sugar, and a yellow bar on sodium. Really? That’s what we should be worrying about in Cheerios? The salt? :roll_eyes:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2024/food-warning-labels-fda-healthy-choices/

(Allie) #2

Traffic lights system, been in use in the UK for years but useless.

(Robin) #3

Hah, good point!
Good to hear from you. I’ve been wondering how you are!

(Allie) #4

I’ve been popping in and out, but so crazy busy, rarely get to read or post anything :heart:

(Bob M) #5

Yeah, they are looking at the mostly the wrong things.

(Allie) #6

No sure that kind of label would be effective even if they were looking at the right things.

(KM) #7

Probably true, but I still think it could be a little bit of a wake up call. … Although knowing the American public, there would be a contingent of people running around with teeshirts proudly displaying their three red bar affinity. Red Stripes, More Than Just A Beer! :unamused:

If you (everyone, not just Allie) were to put a warning label on highly processed food (other than just Good Grief, Don’t Eat This!) what would you want to alert people about?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

USDA labeling: WARNING: CONTAINS NUTS

(KM) #9

:rofl:

#10

Nutriscore is a thing since ages, I only start to see it everywhere here lately though. It has letters and colors, 5 of them I think.
I have read about how it’s calculated, totally silly, not like I ever cared about these things, I know I eat mostly great things and the fat in dairy won’t kill me :slight_smile:
But it’s really stupid. Added sugar? Lower score. Fruits? Higher score. If they put fruit and sugar into a yogurt (and additives, of course), it is as good as a plain one? I don’t think so.

But people don’t care anyway (most of them, at least) so it’s just some decoration on the package. Even the “IT KILLS YOU” (well, basically, with different various words and with pictures) on packs of cigarettes don’t stop smokers. And they have these covers if they don’t want to see the warnings. My SO’s Mom is a smoker, she easily quit for her pregnancies but she never ever would do without it otherwise. Illnesses, cost, health? Doesn’t matter. Mere warnings do nothing.

I still can get mildly annoyed if I think too deep in some vulnerable state but otherwise… Why would I care?

Oh and “healthy” doesn’t mean anything to me when I hear it from other people. I just can’t have any idea how far their healthy idea is from reality - and it’s individual too.

My staples used to have no such labels. Now my dairy may have it. My quark (the fattiest available version, so it’s quite lean, there is no such thing as full-fat quark) has A, the best score (indeed, it’s good stuff), my sour cream is D :smiley:

(Joey) #11

Here’s a suggested food warning label for what’s stocked on most of the interior aisles at the supermarket…

WARNING: NOT FOOD. :skull_and_crossbones:

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #12

:joy:

(Jack Bennett) #13

As anybody who posts or reads in a place like this knows, this kind of labeling isn’t for people who read and dig into the story behind the story.

It’s for those who can’t / don’t self-educate about food and nutrition and need to follow the commands of big daddy government to tell them what’s good and bad for them. (And may God help those people … they’ll need His help when they get diabetes / heart disease / etc. … and the system that already let them down wants to give them pills and injections that “manage” the disease.)