Food labelling does it go far enough?

31 Replies

New food nutrition labelling was approved for use from January 1 2020 by the FDA…That is unless you have annual sales of less than 10 million and then you have until January 1, 2021, to comply…

The hope is that the new food labelling will make it easier to make informed choices…

The changes made include bolder and larger type …Calories are in bolder type. Showing added sugars is new and there are changes to some of the nutrients required to be shown i.e Vitamins A and C are no longer required to be displayed but Vitamin D and Potassium are as many diets are shown to have deficiencies in those vitamins.

Manufacturers are allowed to show other vitamins if they wish.

Are all ingredients listed on a label?

Food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients BUT some ingredients can be listed collectively as flavours, spices, artificial flavours, or in the case of colour additives which are exempt from certification they can just be listed as artificial colours without naming each one.

Do manufacturers lie?

Nutrition labels are NOT always factual as the law allows a margin of error of up tp 20% which many believe as I do to be over-generous.

For example, a product could show as having 100 calories when the reality is it has 120 calories…also as portion sizes quoted on labels are not recommended serving sizes …by now it is probably becoming clear that you would most certainly if you are counting calories consuming far more than you think as well as sugars.

This article shows what a preferred label would look like where it is shown how high the fats and the added sugars the new labels fall short here I think is a great idea as many people me included are not au fair with everything on labels and we need as much help as we can get when shopping we are not all trained nutritionists…

I also don’t have 20/20 vision or the time to read a continuous list of ingredients...Do you?

A label which shows main ingredients and 2% or less of ingredients plus allergy information would make our informed choices safer in the case of allergies and easier in the case of sugars, salt and fats and of course chemical additives…All shown in the link above as an example of a good label.

To top it all the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, threw a curveball that has seriously shaken the allergy community: it temporarily relaxed food labeling guidelines. It is a move that has raised alarm particularly among those with allergies beyond the major allergens, known as the Top 8.

This article highlights the issues and concerns that people who have allergies or have children with allergies now have

As a family, we are lucky we don’t have any allergies however there are some additives which I don’t want in my food which is why I cook from scratch…

This comment from Dolly @ koolkosherkitchen on my last week’s blog post highlights some of the problems that people with allergies face…

If you allow me to add a few points, dear Carol.
First of “non-dairy” usually mean that the product does not contain lactose. It might contain casein, though, which causes pancreas inflammation in some cases (mine, for example). It is clear mislabeling since casein is also part of being dairy.
Secondly, I am by far not the only person in the world allergic to canola oil, yet many packaged products, while sometimes mentioning soy or sesame oil, neglect to mention canola oil. Case in point: Planters so-called “dry roasted” peanuts are roasted in canola oil, rather than dry-roasted.
Thirdly, food coloring, especially red and yellow, is detrimental to people with certain learning and emotional disorders, such as ADD / ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression disorders, as well as conduct disorders.
You have raised a very important issue, darling!

I most certainly was not aware that dry roasted peanuts are in fact roasted in oil…Were you?

The most commonly known foods which can cause allergic reactions are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy.) However, as many foods are now imported around the world allergens in other countries may differ, among them sesame, mustard, and lupin.

I think this just shows what a minefield buying processed foods is against making your own from scratch where possible which not only saves money you can be safe in the knowledge that you are safeguarding any family members with allergies as we all know severe allergic reactions can and do kill.

About 9,500 children every year are admitted to hospitals around the world because of the reaction they have to a food allergy. 

Allergy percentages today among children are skyrocketing, especially in the heavily industrialized areas — famously referred to as the first wave allergy epidemic.

The number of hypersensitive reactions has progressed in an upward trajectory, globally, for the past 50 years. In the US, there has been an exponential growth of food allergies, notably a 50% higher increase between the periods (1997–1999) and (2009–2011), following a recent CDC food allergy statistics report.

That word upward trajectory strikes fear in me…

Tomorrow I am talking about Sugar again…and children’s teeth …That’s just for starters…sigh…when I get my nerdy head-on and start reading my hackles rise at the duplicity, cunning and downright deceit of the major food manufacturers… if we don’t challenge them then this is going to be worse for our children and our children’s children it should be a given that we should be aware and be able to make good informed choices because the labelling of processed foods is very clear as to the ingredients which also means that governing bodies and watchdogs around the world need to tighten up and issue clear guidelines which cannot be misinterpreted or abused at the cost of the health of future generations.

Also for the next few weeks when I post some of my recipes I will add an example alongside a recipe as to how a store-bought meal or dish compares as regards ingredients…These comparisons are to satisfy my curiosity as well…Just give me time to find some suitable recipes to make those comparisons. 

Until next time be well and stay safe…

About Carol Taylor: 

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a fabulous week and stay safe these are troubling times xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 thoughts on “Food labelling does it go far enough?”

  1. OIKOS™-Editorial

    Thank you very much for the information, Carol. You remembered me on this great “new deal” 😉 here in Germany we should get offered too. I am a little bit concerned also in the “ample”, so they call it here. All industrial food is not only preprocessed, its processed to the max. You really will never fully know whats inside. Michael

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  2. Pingback: CarolCooks2…weekly roundup 23rd August -29th August 2020… Recipes, Health(Sugar) and Children’s Teeth, Whimsy, and …A murmuration of Starlings… | Retired? No one told me!

  4. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

    An important post Carol and the more I read and watch documentaries on the food industry the more evident it becomes that many, particularly some of the larger conglomerates that produce across food types, are the leading cause of the increasing levels of lifestyle related disease across the globe. Whilst it is people’s decision to eat or not eat the product, if you are ingesting a little bit here and a little bit there across the range of foods on a daily basis there is an accumulative effect. You cannot read every label and the only safe way of avoiding the additives is to cook from scratch at every opportunity and only use industrial foods occasionally. You and I have been banging that particular drum for a long time now as have many others but you cannot beat big food and pharma… they are far too powerful. Sorry to rant…xx

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  5. petespringerauthor

    I think there’s a lot of misleading information when it comes to food labels. The suggested serving size is one of those things that leads to false assumptions.

    I also didn’t know “dry” roasted peanuts were roasted in oil either.

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  8. Sue Dreamwalker

    Thank you for this post Carol… Yes its important that food labels are clearer and more understandable… One of the reasons why hubby dislikes me going food shopping with him, is that I look on labels and see what is in there 🙂 ❤
    Hope you are well,
    And thank you so much also for your lovely comment on Barbara's post… Much love to you… Take care Carol… Hugs your way 🙂

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  9. johnrieber

    Such important information Carol…one more thing about packaging: the expiration dates. These are NOT a date when the food goes bad, it’s the date that a company gives you to relieve them of any liability if the product goes bad at SOME POINT BEYOND that date…in most cases that is days weeks or months later. However, we throw “expired” food out, wasting almost 40% of our food supply when most of it is perfectly fine! Remember,r the smell test is best!

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  11. marianbeaman

    As always, informative post, Carol. I am impressed with the research you often show here on your blog. I was surprised at what I learned about dry, roasted peanuts. Yes, we do have to be savvy shoppers. Have a great week!

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Marian… I was surprised at the dry roasted peanuts it was Dolly who alerted me to that… You just have to be aware all the time it takes the fun out of shopping 😊

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  12. Norah

    This is interesting, Carol. I’m pleased that none of my family have allergies as such. Though many of us are ‘careful’ about things we eat, especially those with lactose and gluten. While not officially intolerant, our systems tell us that we should avoid them if we can.
    My main aid when I shop is my Ethical Shopping Guide. Do you have one of those? I find it very useful when I’m choosing my items. Sadly, in some categories there is little ethical choice.

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I don’t have an Ethical Shopping Guide.. I will check it out although we either grow our own or buy very local but it probably would be handy for flour etc.. Thank you Norah 😊 x

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