Food labeling

Email this page to a friend

Want news about Food labeling and more e-mailed to you? Click here for free email alerts

During the 1980s, a few lone voices raised questions about the practices of the food industry, and while there were some victories (including food labeling requirements), calls for action at the national level were ignored. The subsequent growth in the number of scientific articles and media stories helped put obesity on the map. Public opinion began to change to the point that policy ideas, even those as radical as taxing food, are being debated in the mainstream (e.g., opinion polls now ask about these policies).

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating Jeffrey M. Smith See book keywords and concepts

The only mention of the lawsuit from the Washington Post came in the middle of an August 1999 article on GM food labeling issue. It said, "Last summer, two consumer groups sued the Food and Drug Administration, claiming that the agency's failure to institute a labeling regimen for gene-altered food is in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The law demands that food additives not 'generally recognized as safe' be labeled."35 The article also included the standard quotes about safety from the Biotech Industry Organization.

Food Fight Kelly Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen See book keywords and concepts

Require food labeling at restaurants. þRequire food packaging to have the number of USDA servings in a container accompany weight or volume figures on the front of containers. Chapter 9 (Economic Issues) þHelp make the public aware of the powerful economic forces that contribute to obesity, noting how the fundamental imbalance of incentives to eat unhealthy vs. healthy foods (low cost, convenience, accessibility, and taste for unhealthy choices) by itself would predict an epidemic of obesity. þIncrease awareness of social inequities (e.g.

Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal: How to Avoid Hidden Toxins in Your Food Earl Mindell and Hester Mundis See book keywords and concepts

What's Allowed to Go Unmentioned Is Unforgivable Considering that such prominent agencies as the USDA, the FDA, and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) are in charge of food labeling, it's unforgivable that: ?Specific identification of all flavorings, spices, fats, and oils is not mandatory. ?There is no mandatory labeling in America for bioengineered foods or ingredients, genetically modified (GM) foods, or foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). (See section 35.) ?Not all additives must be listed. ?

Labelese": How General Terms Can Be Particularly Confusing The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have established "Definitions" and "Standards of Identity" as references for food labeling. These regulations determine such things as minimum standards of composition for common foods, what additives need not be listed because they're Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) (see section 25), and when and what generalized terms may be used in place of specific ingredients.

Staying Healthy in a Risky Environment: The New York University Medical Center Family Guide Arthur C. Upton, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Regulates food labeling, except for meat, poultry, eggs, and alcoholic beverages. The Environmental Protection Agency • Approves the use and application of pesticides (including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides). • Sets tolerance levels for pesticide residues in food. • Mandates national drinking-water standards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture • Is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and eggs. • Inspects meat and poultry products. • Regulates food and color additives in meat and poultry. • Inspects eggs and egg products. Figure 17.

The Food Bible Judith Wills See book keywords and concepts

Some nutritionists believe that some of these levels have been set too high and so, for comparison, we include the EC's RDAs (recommended daily amounts) which are used in EC countries for the purposes of food labeling, and the UK RNIs. (Recommended amounts for children, pregnancy, and the elderly appear in Section Three.) * A short explanation of the role of each vitamin is given, followed by general sources, and symptoms of deficiency and excess. * "Best sources" charts list selected top sources for each per 100 g (approx. 31/2 0z) of food item.

Food Politics Marion Nestle See book keywords and concepts

Congress, however, did precisely that when it preempted the FDA's years of work on food labeling by passing the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 (see Table 30 (Chapter 10). The NLEA, widely viewed as "a win-win for consumers and the food industry," applied nationally and did not allow states to make their own food-labeling rules. Although its major purpose was to specify the content and format of labels on foods, the NLEA also addressed health claims.

New Choices in Natural Healing: Over 1,800 of the Best Self-Help Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine Bill Gottlieb See book keywords and concepts

Changes in food labeling have added another number: the Daily Value, or DV. Like the RDA, the DV is a recommendation for how much of a specific nutrient you need in your daily diet to maintain adequate nutrition. On food labels, the percent DV tells you the percentage of your daily nutrient needs provided by one serving of that food, based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day. Multivitamin/mineral supplements are also labeled with the percent DV Neither DVs nor RDAs are necessarily a true measure of what you may need to treat or to protect yourself from disease.

Safe Food: Eating Wisely In A Risky World Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland See book keywords and concepts

New labeling law to the rescue Under a new federal law, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the FDA is going to be overhauling food labeling requirements to give us more accurate, useful information on the nutrition value of our food. For one thing, detailed nutrition labeling will be required on most packaged foods (right now it's required only if a product makes nutritional claims or if it has been fortified).

Food Politics Marion Nestle See book keywords and concepts

In November 1991—in what was widely regarded as an all-time "first"—the FDA and the USDA jointly released a gigantic (nearly 600-page) Federal Register notice proposing definitions, portion sizes, and health claims for labels for packaged foods as well as on meat and poultry products over which, in the peculiar division of federal responsibility for food labeling, the USDA holds jurisdiction. This level of collaboration between the two agencies was unprecedented.

Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol Mary G. Enig See book keywords and concepts

The original purpose of labeling polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids was to enable the consumer to find foods that had twice as much polyunsaturates as saturates, since at that point in food labeling history certain organizations (e.g., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), American Heart Association (AHA)) had decided that eating twice as much polyunsaturates(P) as saturates(S) was desirable for cholesterol lowering. This was the era of the P/S ratio, and the rriarketing of oils and margarines, etc.

Up until the signing of the food labeling law passed by Congress in 1990, the type of labeling of fats and oils listed only polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids if a breakdown of the fat was included; these were labeled as "polyunsaturated" (or "PUFA") and "saturated," respectively. The labels were supposed to give equal prominence to the amounts in grams per serving, and the order was "polyunsaturated" first, followed by "saturated.

Although trans fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids by chemical definition, they cannot be legally designated monounsaturates or polyunsaturates for the purpose of food labeling in the United States, in Canada, or in Great Britain (U.K.). In the United States, authorities in the F.D.A. had early on recognized that the trans polyunsaturated fatty acids were not biologically equivalent to the ris polyunsaturated fatty acids, and that they could not function as essential fatty acids.

These and other important aspects of food labeling in the United States compared to countries such as Canada and Great Britain are reviewed. Chapter 6, An Overview of Dietary Fat Intake Recommendations provides an overview as indicated. In the United States, recommendations concerning fats and oils in the diet have come from federal government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as from quasi-government agencies such as the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science (NAS-NRC).

Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century Earl Mindell See book keywords and concepts

Recommended Daily Allowances) were formulated by the Food and Drag Administration (FDA) to be used as the legal standards for food labeling in regard to nutrient content. (The RDA were used as the basis for the U.S. RDA). Serving size, number of servings per container, calories, and ten nutrients—protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and iron—had to be listed on food labels. (Today, unless a food is fortified or a manufacturer claims that it is a good source of vitamin B, levels of B vitamins are excluded.

Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives: A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients Vitamin E Ruth Winter See book keywords and concepts

One of the greatest advances for the consumer as far as knowing what is in the foods they purchase was the passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) and the Dietary Supplement Act of 1992, the first major change in food labeling regulations since 1974. As of May 8, 1994, food producers have had to comply with most of the FDA's new labeling requirements. (Advertising is not covered by NLEA; the Federal Trade Commission, however, has indicated it may apply the same criteria to advertising that the FDA does to labels.

PDR for Nutritional Supplements Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik See book keywords and concepts

Food and Drug Administration. Food labeling: health claims; soluble fiber from certain foods and coronary heart disease: final rule 21 CFR Part 101. Federal Reg. Feb 18,1998; 63(32): 8103. Hallfrisch J, Scholfield DJ, Behall KM. Diets containing soluble oat extracts improve glucose and insulin responses of moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995; 61:379-384. Johansson L, Virkki L, Maunu S, et al. Structural characterization of water soluble beta-glucan of oat bran. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2000; 42:143-148. Lia A, Andersson H, Mekki N, et al.

Food Politics Marion Nestle See book keywords and concepts

Such claims would be permitted in food labeling and advertising so long as not false or misleading."31 The CRN and three other organizations—Kellogg, the National Food Processors Association, and, oddly enough, the consumer advocacy organization Center for Science in the Public Interest—filed petitions asking the FDA to develop a uniform policy on health claims to establish a level playing field for both conventional foods and supplements. In 1987 the FDA issued "cautious and deliberate" proposals to permit health claims on the labels of foods and nutritional supplements.

Sugar Blues William Duffy See book keywords and concepts

The use of the word carbohydrate outside the laboratory—especially in food labeling and advertising lingo—to describe both natural, complete cereal grains (which have been a principal food of mankind for thousands of years) and man-refined sugar (which is a manufactured drug and principal poison of mankind for only a few hundred years) is demonstrably wicked. This kind of confusion makes possible the flimflam practiced by sugar pushers to confound anxious mothers into thinking kiddies need sugar to survive.

Food Politics Marion Nestle See book keywords and concepts

As we shall see, three separate lines of regulatory proposals—for food labeling, health claims on food labels, and health claims for dietary supplements—became thoroughly entangled with each other and with a host of political issues as broad as environmental protection and states' rights. Throughout, the FDA continued to execute its mission as a science-based regulatory agency and to apply science-based standards to all aspects of consumer protection, including health claims on food package labels. In writing rules for labeling, however, the FDA had to deal with a regulatory quagmire.

Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health James Braly M.D. and Ron Hoggan M.A. See book keywords and concepts

A United Nations commission operating under the auspices of the FAO and WHO sets the standards for food labeling and is called Codex Alimentarius. This commission has established minimum levels of gluten content that are allowed in foods labeled "gluten free." This may seem contradictory, even foolish, but it is a reality that has shaped labeling legislation throughout the world.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien See book keywords and concepts

Federal Register. food labeling health claims: soy protein and coronary heart disease (Docket No. 98P-0683). November 10, 1998; 63(217): 62977-63015. 43. Messina M, Messina V. The Simple Soybean and Your Health. Garden City Park, NY: Avery, 1994. 44. Lo GS, Goldberg AP, Lim A, et al. Soy fiber improves lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in primary hyperlipidemic subjects. Atherosclerosis 1986; 62: 239-248. 45. Kennedy AR. The evidence for soybean products as cancer preventive agents. Journal of Nutrition 1995 (suppl); 733S-743S. 46. Graf E, Eaton JW.

Natural Cures Michael Castleman See book keywords and concepts

In the early 1970s, when the FDA introduced its first attempt at nutritional food labeling, the agency selected the highest level for each nutrient in the 1968 edition of the RDAs to create its own standard, the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDAs). In 1994, the FDA revised its nutrition labeling program and replaced the USRDAs with Daily Values (DVs) for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Food labels now state the percentage of the DV for selected vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.

PDR for Nutritional Supplements Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik See book keywords and concepts

RDA for folic acid, the value used for nutritional supplement and food labeling purposes, is 400 micrograms/ day. A Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level (LOAEL) for folate is set by the Food and Nutrition Board at 5 milligrams/ day.

RDA, for vitamin B12, the value used for nutritional supplement and food labeling purposes, is 6 micrograms daily. HOW SUPPLIED Vitamin B12 is available by prescription in the following forms and strengths: Injection — 100 mcg/mL, 1000 mcg/mL Nasal Gel — 500 mcg/0.1 mL Vitamin B12 is available in the following forms and routes for OTC use: Lozenges — 100 meg, 250 meg, 500 meg Sublingual Tablets — 500 meg, 1000 meg, 2000 meg, 2500 meg, 5000 meg Tablets — 50 meg, 100 meg, 250 meg, 500 meg, 1000 meg LITERATURE Adachi S, Kawamoto T, Otsuka M, et al.

RDA for molybdenum, which is the value used for nutritional supplement and food labeling purposes, is 75 micrograms daily. The richest dietary sources of molybdenum, include legumes, cereal grains, leafy vegetables, milk, beans, liver and kidney. HOW SUPPLIED Tablets — 150 meg, 500 meg LITERATURE Anon. Molybdenum deficiency in TPN. Nutr Rev. 1987; 45:337-341. Barceloux DG. Molybdenum. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1999; 37:231-237. Barch DH. Esophageal cancer and microelements. J Am Coll Nutr. 1989; 8:99-107. Beedham C. Molybdenum hydroxylases as drug-metabolizing enzymes. Drug Metab Rev.

RDA for biotin, the value used for nutritional supplement and food labeling purposes, is 300 micrograms/ day. HOW SUPPLIED Capsules — 600 meg, 1 mg, 5 mg Lozenges — 1 mg Tablets — 300 meg, 600 meg, 2.5 mg, 3 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg LITERATURE Bonjour J-P. Biotin. In: Machlin, LJ, ed. Handbook of Vitamins. Nutritional, Biochemical and Clinical Aspects. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc; 1984:403-435. Borboni P, Magnaterra R, Rabini RA, et al. Effect of biotin on glucokinase activity, mRNA expression and insulin release in cultured beta-cells. Acta Diabetologica. 1996; 33:154-158.

Food Politics Marion Nestle See book keywords and concepts

WHITE HOUSE BLOCKS LABELING RULES, THEN RELENTS The FDA intended to release revised final rules for food labeling by November 8, 1992, the deadline established by Congress when it passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). In the byzan-tine way in which Congress does such things, the NLEA specified that if the FDA failed to meet that deadline, its proposed rules (the ones issued in conjunction with USDA) would go into effect unrevised.

I think we'd both agree that an informed public can make better decisions about the products that it buys and consumes.... FDA's job is to encourage this trend ... by cooperating with industry to make healthful products available."22 The FTC also enthusiastically endorsed the Kellogg advertisements and recommended that other companies follow suit.

page 2 of 2 | Next ->

FAIR USE NOTICE: The research quoted here is provided under the protection of Fair Use provisions and published by the 501(c)3 non-profit Consumer Wellness Center for the purposes of public comment and education. Authors / publishers may submit books for consideration of inclusion here.

TERMS OF USE: Read full terms of use. Citations of text from NaturalPedia must include: 1) Full credit to the original author and book title. 2) Secondary credit to the Natural News Naturalpedia as a research resource and a link to www.NaturalNews.com/np/index.html

This unique compilation of research is copyright (c) 2008 by the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center.

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of this NaturalNews Naturalpedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.