Whenever I eat something or go out shopping for groceries, I am often concerned about what I am about to eat has in it. Most people turn the container or packaging around to inform them of what percentage of sugars, carbohydrates or sodium is in what they are about to eat. Then majority of people would believe that since they are unhealthy, it is the labels fault for not being truthful or informative. However, when this comes to my mind, I rest assured knowing that the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is honest about their food labels. Ever since the Food and Drug Administration was founded in 1906, because of the Food and Drugs act, this organization has put into motion better, healthy lifestyles for individuals. Even though most people …show more content…
On FDA food labels, the accuracy of the amount of substances being ingested is true. An article published by FDA Consumer shows the accuracy rates of the FDA labels, “Total Carbohydrate 98%, Total Fat 96%, Sugars 95%, Calories 93%, Saturated Fat 93%, Sodium 90%, Cholesterol 80%, Dietary Fiber 80%, Calcium 80%” (Accuracy of Information on Nutrition Labels). Although these rates are not 100%, this study was done in 1996. The article goes on to state that, “Findings were based on 2,000 laboratory tests of 300 retail food products” (Accuracy of Information on Nutrition Labels). With the limited technology of the time, these are still reliable statistics. Also, it is difficult to measure the exact quantity of some of these substances because of their molecular density. With some substances being more difficult to determine the exact amounts, it would be nearly impossible to have 100% accuracy on some of them. While with this information, people have still been able to construct healthy diets. If it were not for the accuracy of these labels, there would be not be an opportunity for anyone to be healthy, or anyone to commit to a healthy lifestyle. For example, with the knowledge of certain ingredients in what I eat, I have been able to easily and healthily change my diet. Simply put, the Food and Drug Administration is honest with the public and tries to keep people healthy. However, not only does the FDA try to keep …show more content…
The public demanded that the FDA re-work their food label, making it easier to read and comprehend. In 2014, Alexandra Sifferlin, from Time Magazine, published an article referring to how the FDA could improve and redesign their food label, stating that the labels could add “Realistic serving sizes, bolder calories, sugar breakdown, understandable measurements, and front of package placement.” Once this article got into the hand of the public, many people began urging the Food and Drug Administration to change their label. Two years later in 2016, the FDA had designed a new formatting for their food labels, adding “Serving size in a larger bolder type, updated serving sizes, calories in a larger type, updated daily values, a new line for added sugars, actual amounts as well as % daily value of nutrients” (Coming to a shelf near you: The new Nutrition Facts labels). However, the FDA did not put the label on the front of the packaging. This is because if the food label is on the back of packaging, it gave corporations the room to advertise their product on the front of the packaging. Also, many people would not be enticed to buy a product if the first thing they see is a chart. With these improvements, it is obvious that the FDA is considerate of the public, however some people still have an
Research shows that when such information is given, customers use it to limit the way they eat. This can consume an average loss of calories than they typically did before labeling. This trend poses increased risk, not just in terms of calories, but in terms of unhealthful ingredients such as fat and sodium. According to the passage, "the U.S. government agrees that restaurant meals should be labeled. It is part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which requires that standard menu items include information on nutrition 1". This poses that fast food places and restaurants should in fact label information, not only for ones own health but it is required.
Zinczencko complains that unlike many other hazardous items, fast food does not come with warnings on how terrible the food is for one’s health and its future effects. He emphasizes that even if the customers were able to obtain the nutritional facts, they are not palpable, but rather obscure. He points out that the fast-food companies make the nutrition labels vague and misleading; they calculate the calories for every separate part of the meal, and they make it so the consumer must pay attention to serving size as well. He observes that the fast-food industry can get away with confusing labels because there are not any Food and Drug Administration labeling requisites (Word Smart, p. 220) covering fast food. Zinczenko complains that there is not any sort of nutritional labeling on the menus at fast-food restaurants. Now, nine years later, there are some changes, but his point is still valid. McDonald’s menu now states the calories of each meal, but as Zinczenko points out, it is very difficult to
With having true genuine intentions in eating healthy people fall into the ideas advertised by cooperation’s that their products are healthy. Food corporations protect themselves through ingredient secrecy and even through the FDA because they are not required by law to disclose their ingredients; however, the chemicals used need to be considered by the FDA to be Generally Regarded As Safe (Schlosser 25). People should take responsibility in the research of the food products they consume; therefore, allowing an individual to be wise and informed of what their really consuming. Maybe, instead of cutting corners in trying to eat healthy with false idealistic advertisement consumers should consider eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and cooking ingredients. Consumers should like the author Pollan suggested in his rules of thumb: avoid food products unfamiliar, unpronounceable ingredients, and products containing more than five ingredients (Pollan
Consumers could spend as much as $10 more per product if proposed label changes go through. The FDA is proposing new food labels by changing its look, and what information is places on the label. Improving food labels would not improve the public’s health because it is (1)costly, (2)will take lots of time and, (3)it is unnecessary. I believe that the new labels won’t help public health because people are not educated enough to know how to read them. More money should be spent on educating people on the labels rather than changing them. If the new labels are made the people who knew how to read them before will now have to learn how to read the new labels. With the new labels means more money spent on things that is unneeded.
As children, we rarely look at the back of our chocolate bar or care what elements are in the french fries we indulge in. Whilst getting older, we become more conscious of what is going into our food, and what we put in our bodies. We are more aware of the places that we go to eat, and are constantly looking at reviews. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a government federal agency whose purpose is to ensure our safety as consumers. There are various factors that the FDA oversees, thus requiring a substantial budget. Last year, the over-all spent was 4.8 billion dollars, which is generally made from taxes and user fees from the drug industry. They regulate food consumption,
America is known for being one of the unhealthiest nations in the world. This true statement is able to be traced all the way back to what is in our foods: corn, sugar, salt, and fat. Each of these ingredients are generally okay to consume small amounts. Unfortunetly, many Americans are consuming extremely high amounts of these products, simply because the ingredients are in nearly every meal you can think of. In order to fix this dilemma, the government must take action for their responsibility by requiring food labels to be clear and accurate, boost incentives for marketing healthier foods, and end subsidies for corn and soy, all while encouraging the population to consume healthier foods.
Its seems obvious that the organization with food in its name, the Food and Drug Administration, should be in charge of our country's food safety and food labels. This agency has the experience and knowledge to devise a labeling standard that incorporates all pertinent information. I have confidence in the FDA.
Modern processed foods are packaged in ways that are designed to sell. With many people seeking healthy and nutritious food options, it makes sense that companies would want to portray their products as such. In the article “Front-of-Package Food Labels”, Marion Nestle and David S. Ludwig discuss why vague and unproven front-of-package labels should not be allowed on processed food packages.
Supposedly responsible for regulating food consumption and health standards, the USDA and FDA set forth criteria that food processing companies must abide by to successfully keep food safe for consumers. However, I feel as though these government organizations, in combination with greedy corporations, are failing at their jobs, leaving consumers to fend for themselves in food safety. For this exact reason, we, as a society, deserve the right to know what is in our food; our daily nourishment is simply not something meant to be feared or questioned. Food labeling and daily advertising are essential tools that aid in avoiding such horror, providing even slightly more insight to purchasers. Information provided through these tactics should be honest, approved, and reliable, requested by the consumer upon desire for making wise decisions; major corporate businesses, in no way, shape, or form, should be granted permission to decide what types of information should be disclosed, as their secretive nature could possibly interfere with this aspect of food safety greatly. Similar to how everyone deserves to be informed of the nourishment they are providing themselves, I also believe that access to healthy food should be available to everyone, making it a basic right. As long as people are willing to work and process the healthy food we eat, they also should be able to partake. Overall, my opinions and beliefs on the food industry will never be what they once were; they will forever be distorted by the lucrative, profit-seeking motives guiding major food corporations across the
Bonnie Liebman, a Cornell University graduate with a master’s degree in nutritional sciences, reveals that our food products contain claims that are not entirely reliable. Food companies sneak unregulated terms on our food products such as “improves memory”, “relieves stress”, and “suppresses appetite” in order to bait the consumer into buying them (Liebman 464). It’s hard to believe that the FDA [Food & Drug Administration] allows terms such as these to be added onto our food products without any justifiable proof but as Liebman quoted on her article, “The FDA doesn’t even look at the evidence behind structure and function claims [from
People these days tend to worry about their health much more than previously. It would make sense as we live in a world that is full of advertisements and we must be aware of what we are actually putting in our bodies. That being said, however, it would also seem that not a lot of people know how to protect themselves from this danger. And while there are clear food labels that can look at to get a better understanding of what they are consuming, not everyone reads the fine print completely. For the most part, people tend to read the number of calories, fat, and sugar a particular contains. However, there is more than that, as it would seem that they aren’t understanding what exactly they are reading, in which can be very hazardous to one’s health.
What i mean by this is people with healthy habits look for these labelings to be on their menus because it helps the se how much calories or fats are in a certain food and it's not just people with healthy habits that do this it is everybody a lot of people look for labeling on their menus of their foods. If you read paragraph three of food labeling if states “this trend poses increased risks for all of us, not just in terms of calories, but in terms of unhealthful ingredients such as fat and sodium. Armed With relevant information, consumers can address this risk and be better for
Dr. Nestle and Dr. Ludwig bring up the issue of misleading labels on the front of many packages. Most claims are not proven scientifically but are still being placed on the front packaging of many products. “Front-of-Package Food Labels Public Health of Propaganda,” brings up how the the legislation passed by Congress throughout the 19th century has impacted the FDA’s ability to regulate misleading claims on food labels.
In conclusion They need to label it because of Health,Unhealthy stuff in the food and we need to eat at home more.Those are the reasons why they should label
America’s health has taken a disastrous toll in the recent decades, with the rapidly increased popularity of processed convenience foods laden in fat and sugar, along with the correlating rise of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. As of 2010, nearly 70% of adults in America aged 20 or higher are overweight or obese (Ogden et all). Both obesity and diabetes are preventable diseases that result directly from overindulgence and poor nutrition. Contemporary marketing practices, which entail displaying misleading buzzwords on front-of-package food labels, negatively affect consumers’ abilities to make healthy choices. To help reverse this epidemic, it is essential that Americans begin reading labels and educating themselves about the foods they consume.