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TweetApril 20, 2012, Marta Montenegro, Fox News Latino
At the supermarket you chose the cereal touting added Omega-3 fatty acids or the one with “added fiber” because it sounds healthier than plain old Cheerios. But what really is the healthier choice?
Have you seen some of these claims? Really? From reducing cholesterol to supporting joint health, are these words on food labels just hype?
Adding more to the marketing mix is the new term “functional food.”
The problem is not in the food label, rather than with the definition of functional food itself.  Functional …

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TweetApril 20, 2012, Montreal Gazette, Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News
Some of the world’s biggest food brands and leading organic labels have understated the amount of bad nutrients — such as fat, sugar and sodium — in their products, or overstated the good ones, internal government tests show.
Kraft, Frito Lay, Unilever and Heinz are among the big names with a product that flunked Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) testing, conducted to see if nutrition claims on labels live up to their billing.
Loblaw’s popular President’s Choice brand had multiple “unsatisfactory” tests on products …

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TweetApril 2, 2012, New York Times, Kevin Rose.
A schoolteacher invented it. Oprah raved about it. Cold-stricken customers and hypochondriacs flocked to it. Skeptics said it was nothing more than snake oil in pill form.
And now, the herbal supplement maker Airborne has made its owners a very healthy profit.
Schiff Nutrition International agreed to buy Airborne, which is majority owned by GF Capital, in a $150 million all-cash deal on March 30, the company announced on Monday. Schiff, based in Utah, will add Airborne to its roster of health products, among them …

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TweetFebruary 28, 2012, Washington Post, Katherine Tallmadge.
Eating healthy can be harder than you think, thanks to an enterprising food industry that wants us to consume more than we need. That’s because our country’s agricultural system produces twice what most people require, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. This encourages creative marketing to unload the excess, much of it with minimal nutritional value. As a nutrition consultant, I know that words such as “low fat,” “high fiber,” “multigrain” and “natural” can fool even the most sophisticated customers …

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The Vancouver Sun, December 1, 2011 Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News
CANADA – The federal government has abruptly stopped testing grocery-store product labels for exaggerated nutrition claims and unproven health claims, Postmedia News has learned.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency put the sampling program “on hold indefinitely due to budgetary constraints” after test results from previous years showed widespread problems with food labels on store shelves, according to internal records released under access to information.
The controversial decision was taken just days before the 2011/12 fiscal year started in April, minutes of a meeting …

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TweetAugust 10, 2011, Yale University
Nutrition-related health claims on children’s cereals are often misinterpreted by parents, causing them to infer that products with health claims are more nutritious overall despite actual nutrient quality, finds a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. The study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, shows that additional government regulation of front-of-package labeling is needed to protect consumers.
Through an online survey, researchers asked parents with children between the ages of 2 and 11 to view images of actual box …

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TweetAugust 11, 2011, NBC, Scott Beaulieu
Finding healthy food for you kids can be hard enough, especially when they’re reaching for their favorite sugar-filled snacks.  But a new study from Yale researchers says the packaging on some foods isn’t making things any easier.
The university’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that parents often misinterpret health claims on children’s cereals, assuming they are more nutritious than they actually are.  For example, many products use words like “whole grain,” “organic,” “supports your child’s immunity.”
In their study, the Yale researchers surveyed parents …

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TweetAugust 6, Patch, Michelle Fiscus
Most of us have heard enough about nutrition to pick healthy foods from the long lineup of options at the grocery store. Buzz words such as “more fiber,” “reduced fat” and “low sodium” are brightly displayed on box tops. We feel good making those purchases, assuming we are doing the best for our family and ourselves.
But just because a food contains the nutrient or vitamin of the week doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you. Food companies are capitalizing on every health craze by fortifying their …

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TweetCSPI September 27, 2010
Ben & Jerry’s has agreed to phase out its use of “All Natural” claims on labels on ice creams and frozen yogurts that contain alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or other ingredients that aren’t natural.
The move amicably resolves a dispute arising from a letter that the Center for Science in the Public Interest sent last month to Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever. The letter said that at least 48 products were improperly labeled.
“Ben & Jerry’s is doing the right thing by taking the …

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TweetThe New York Times, William Neuman, July 14, 2010
According to a recent Nestlé ad campaign aimed at parents, a drink called Boost Kid Essentials was so good for children that it could keep them from getting colds and missing school.
But on Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission said the ads were deceptive and announced that Nestlé had agreed to stop making the claims.
The move was the second in two months aimed at deceptive advertising by a major food manufacturer for products meant for children. A commission official said that the agency …