Boost your energy! Clinically proven to help remove cholesterol! To help with your weight management plan! Add the whole grain stamp, the American Heart Association check mark and the various industry and supermarket symbols and scores and the result is information overload. Is all that information actually helping consumers make healthier choices or does it instead create more confusion?
A Focus on Labeling Regulation
Nutrition information of any type was not allowed on product packaging until the late 1960s when the fortification of vitamins and minerals extended to snack food and chocolate. The FDA then allowed labels to indicate “contains 7 essential nutrients,” but continued to restrict the use of statements linking nutrients or food to disease prevention. This changed in 1984 when Kellogg and the National Cancer Institute endorsed a health claim for All-Bran cereal. What followed was an increase by 47% of All-Bran’s market share, showing without a doubt that health claims help sell products.
By 1990, the FDA authorized scientifically substantiated health claims on food labels. Then in 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, allowing dietary supplement labels to show claims of support or function in the body. Of course the food industry petitioned to have the same privilege. When the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 came about, it and other factors weakened the FDA’s ability to control industry label claims, resulting in the proliferation of nutrient-content, health, and structure/function claims.
Health Claims and Other Nutrition Label Information Can Be Deceptive
Few health claims found on packages can be authenticated. Many claims focus on one nutrient’s ability to affect health. However, there often is no evidence that food containing the nutrient along with many other nutrients will have the same effect. For example, the presence of a few added antioxidants in a processed breakfast cereal is unlikely to “boost immunity” significantly.
Nutrient content claims are just as deceptive. A food may be a “good source of calcium,” yet also be high in added sugar and calories. In other words, a food manufacturer is allowed to place a nutrient content claim on a product regardless of that product’s overall nutritional quality. Given this fact, it becomes easy for a manufacturer to manipulate the composition of a product to make it high and/or low in specific nutrients or ingredients so that this change can be displayed on the package front. For example, Pop Tarts made with whole grains may provide more fiber, but they still are high in added sugars and calories. An ingredient or nutrient change doesn’t necessarily make a processed food healthier.
Nutrition Marketing on Labels Does Not Lead to Healthier Choices
Research has demonstrated that products whose label shows health information influence consumer knowledge and behavior as well as lead to higher company profits.
Moreover, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior shows that 49% of 56,900 food labels surveyed contained nutrition marketing. Of those products, 48% had nutrition marketing and were also high in saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar. Overall, 23% of all products both displayed nutrition marketing and were high in saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar. Interestingly, only 9% of nutrition marketing on products involved a FDA-regulated health claim.
The study also found that children’s products are more frequently the target of nutrition marketing. Researchers discovered that 33% of the nutrition marketing on children’s products cannot be categorized as either a FDA-regulated health claim or nutrient-content claim. Those products actually had an industry symbol on their package. In fact, food company symbols meant to identify a product as a healthful choice was one of the top five marketing strategies observed on products high in saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar that were directed to children.
Not only are labels overwhelming and confusing, there is little if any evidence that the information is helpful when it comes to making nutritious selections. Until the FDA comes up with standardized front-of-package labeling regulations, the best bet is to go for the least processed food and to read the Nutrition Facts label information; you know, the rectangle box with the numbers inside?
References:
Bender Brandt, M. et al. “The prevalence of health claims and nutrient content claims is increasing, FDA’s latest Food Label and Package Survey shows.” Foodtechnology. Jan 10; 35-40.
Colby, S. et al. “Nutrition Marketing on Food Labels.” J Nutr Edu Beh. 2010; 42: 92-98.
Nestle, M. and D. Ludwig. “Front-of-Package Food Labels: Public Health or Propaganda?” JAMA. 2010; 303(8): 771-772.
Brigitte Harton - Brigitte Harton is a certified, registered dietitian with over 15 years experience in the field of nutrition and dietetics. In her current ...
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