the truth about food labeling
The “light” label could be misleading if not used appropriately. The term light could be used to describe the texture or the color of the products, instead of referring to the calorie intake. Also, The label “fat free” could mislead us to think the product indeed has zero fat. However, the word fat-free is used to describe less than 0.5 g of fat per serving. Which means it still contains fat but under that limit. Although these labels seem unnecessary, they are in reality the selling point for many products. This seemingly healthy, light, fat-free yogurt actually contains modified cornstarch. Food manufacturers put this substance in products to thicken food, which act sort of like a food additive since it has no nutritive value. Cornstarch is only high in calories and carbs. As Marion Nestle argues, it doesn't really matter if a product is low-fat or low-carb, what is important is the calorie intake from ultra processed food. The author argues that “ultra processed food tends to be high in sugars, refined carbs, and fats and, therefore, calories. We easily overeat them” (35). These ultra processed ingredients we most of the time oversee, are one of the biggest causes for diet-based diseases. Although it might be our responsibility to understand what we are putting inside our bodies, most people are not knowledgeable about misleading food labeling and overall nutrition due to the complexity and general disagreement within the nutrition world. Another problem that feeds the food labeling scheme is the fact that regulatory government agencies, such as the FDA, can not keep up with all the new food additives created by the industry. Thus, implementing the food-additive self-regulatory system did remove the burden for the agency, however as explained by.Melanie Warner, it removes the incentive for either the industry or the government to carry out the expensive studies that would reveal the truth; labels and hard-to-pronounce ingredients discourage us consumers from learning about nutrition. |