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Buyer beware: FDA crackdown still leaves lots of misleading labels on supermarket shelves.
RODALE NEWS, WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the names of 17 food companies that have been sent warning letters accusing them of deceptive food labeling. Some of the brand names on the FDA's hit list are quite well-known, including Sunsweet, POM, and Nestlé. The move has prompted one of the agency’s harshest critics to fall all over itself in praise of the FDA's action, describing the occasion as “a signal event,” “unprecedented,” and a “once-in-a-generation event.”
THE DETAILS: At a news conference Tuesday, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington-based consumer-advocacy group, praised the FDA for finally taking on assorted industry claims that certain foods can cure cancer, prevent heart disease, cure diabetes, or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. And for chastising companies that claim, in large type on the front of their packages, that their product has zero trans fat, without alerting consumers that the product also has high levels of unhealthy saturated fat and total fat. In a report the CSPI released in December, the group said misleading claims on food labels were out of control and called for the FDA to take action. At the news conference Michael Jacobson, executive director of the center, said, “Cracking down on deceptive labeling is a backwater of the FDA,” adding that both consumers and honest companies are cheated by such actions.
In fact, it’s been almost 20 years since the FDA, under commissioner David Kessler, MD, had a product removed from the market for mislabeling. In 1991, Dr. Kessler ordered the seizure of Procter & Gamble’s Citrus Hill reconstituted orange juice because the company refused to remove the term “fresh” for the label.
Among the products that brought censure this time are Gorton’s, Inc., fish fillets, which trumpet a zero trans fat content while ignoring the total fat and saturated fat the products contain. Mrs. Smith’s Coconut Custard Pies and a couple of Dreyer's Grand Ice Creams received the same warning. The companies that produce Sunsweet Growers Antioxidant Blend Dried Fruit Mix Salad and POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice were warned because they make claims that these products prevent or cure various diseases, claims that are not allowed under FDA regulations. Products making such claims have to meet regulatory requirements for drugs.
Several companies that make baby food were warned that they can’t make any claims for food designed for children under age 2, because “appropriate dietary levels have not been established for children in this age range.”
Read on to find out how to spot misleading food labels.
FDA is notifying a number of
FDA is notifying a number of manufacturers that their labels are in violation of the law and subject to legal proceedings to remove miss branded products from the marketplace, Hamburg says, as cited by the aforementioned publication. -AnyLabTestNow.com
Buy Only Real food!
I am in total agreement with Pat: "If you are REALLY concerned about what you're eating, then you shouldn't be buying "foods" that have labels." Purchasing real, unprocessed food, such as organic fresh fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, nuts, dried beans and legumes, and unbleached whole grain flours is what I do to help keep my body healthy. Also, it is very wise to wash all fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing them to eat. And, watch how much you eat. I do not eat at fast food restaurants, rarely eat out and never order takeout. What one puts into his/her body has a huge affect on ones health! I truly believe this, along with regular exercise, is the first line of defense against disease: Keeps your immune system strong, your organs healthy, and your muscles and bones strong!
ignore misleading labels - don't buy them
If you are REALLY concerned about what you're eating, then you shouldn't be buying "foods" that have labels. So far REAL food, like a bag of rice or potatoes, carrots, apples, etc. don't need labels because the content is pretty obvious. Stop buying the fake food that is manufactured and I'm pretty sure that the companies producing it will get the message. Voting with our money is the most effective way to change the marketplace. In the meantime we'll all be healthier because we'll be preparing our own foods from real ingredients.
FDA is misleading as well
While CSPI is right to call for a crackdown on fruit rollups that don't have much fruit or multigrain breads with only a few grains lost in a morass of white flour, there is much misleading information in this article about the FDA.
Because of current law, food marketers (including nutritional supplement marketers) cannot discuss any research linked to their ingredients that prevent, cure, or mitigate a disease. Because by FDA definition, only pharmaceutical drugs work with diseases.
This means that despite compelling research that pomegranate can help with Alzheimer's or heart disease (there are numerous studies), by law food marketers cannot talk about this.
Our most reliable medicine chest - and most affordable (think health care debate) is our pantry. It's been used for milleniums to keep us healthy. Now certainly there is a problem with undocumented claims - that's where the FTC comes in. But consumers should know that the FDA's crackdown has nothing to do with fact or reality. ONly with legalities about language.
All consumers should research beyond advertising and labels. But also understand that while these labels are technically illegal, many of them are not misleading.