Food labeling

[Rydia]

I read this article about a new system for food labeling.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...and-the-effective-illusion-of-control/260880/

Basically, it's a stop light system. Red = unhealthy, yellow = middle ground, green = healthy.

It does kind of dumb down everything because people could just read labels. But not everyone knows how to properly read a food label. That and some labels are misleading.

Though I do worry about who is deciding this. Is it the food companies? The government? A third party organization? That and one day a certain food is healthy and the next, it's not, then it is again.

Thoughts?

 

[Lirael]

We already have this in the UK and, whilst I prefer to look in depth at the nutrition, it can speed decisions up. For those in a hurry, it's easier to locate those healthy snacks by searching for the greener labels! My method is genereally to look for lots of green then to look at the label in more depth.

Whether or not it actually deters people from making bad choices and encourages them to make good choices is something I'm not so sure of. I think people will always eat what they want, but labels like these could provide that little extra boost for those who want to make a difference to their diet but aren't sure where to start. Some people really are lost when it comes to how much fat is good and how many grams make a product high in sugar.

The problem is, it CAN trick people into thinking they are eating a more healthy diet than they actually are. In order to be healthy, you need a balanced diet of fresh meat/fish, beans, grains, dairy, veg and fruit...You can pick up ten items with lots of green and no red and still end up eating very little protein, lots of sugar, little GOOD fat and no fresh fruit or veg.

 

[NeoTesseract]

I read this article about a new system for food labeling.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...and-the-effective-illusion-of-control/260880/

Basically, it's a stop light system. Red = unhealthy, yellow = middle ground, green = healthy.

It does kind of dumb down everything because people could just read labels. But not everyone knows how to properly read a food label. That and some labels are misleading.

Though I do worry about who is deciding this. Is it the food companies? The government? A third party organization? That and one day a certain food is healthy and the next, it's not, then it is again.

Thoughts?

I can honestly opine , without hesitance, that such a system degrades the dignity of the peoples. I would be in favor of implementing such a system
in nutritional products and/or foods marketed directly at/for children (Gogurt, certain cereals, snack treats etc). However replacing the nutritional labels on current products and simplifying them to the point of retardation is baffling.

This oversimplification, red = bad, green = good, fire = burns, is asinine and insulting to the intelligence of a great deal of individuals.

I however, understand where this comes from. Obesity and other health negligences cost the government money, public funds, that we really lack for education and other pivotal branches of society and development. Nevertheless, the government (which I assume to be the driving force behind this proposal) must learn do distinguish the fine line between stupidity and carelessness; arguably the two go together in a duo of destruction. A portion of the population are uneducated individuals who make wrong nutritional decisions based on ignorance, howbeit, others simply don't care and eat when they please as they please entering a self destructive behavior pattern (compulsive eating disorders are extremely common in America).

Others, simply eat because the food is there. A reflection of the overindulging American way of life, which promotes indulgence and exaggeration in all aspects of society (more pay, more things, more food, bigger, better blah blah blah).
I was sure that the banned Richard B. Riddick once posted a very interesting study performed by a psychologist on eating patterns, disorders, and obesity not too long ago.

 

[Nocturne]

I can honestly opine , without hesitance, that such a system degrades the dignity of the peoples. I would be in favor of implementing such a system
in nutritional products and/or foods marketed directly at/for children (Gogurt, certain cereals, snack treats etc). However replacing the nutritional labels on current products and simplifying them to the point of retardation is baffling.

This oversimplification, red = bad, green = good, fire = burns, is asinine and insulting to the intelligence of a great deal of individuals.

I however, understand where this comes from. Obesity and other health negligences cost the government money, public funds, that we really lack for education and other pivotal branches of society and development. Nevertheless, the government (which I assume to be the driving force behind this proposal) must learn do distinguish the fine line between stupidity and carelessness; arguably the two go together in a duo of destruction. A portion of the population are uneducated individuals who make wrong nutritional decisions based on ignorance, howbeit, others simply don't care and eat when they please as they please entering a self destructive behavior pattern (compulsive eating disorders are extremely common in America).

Others, simply eat because the food is there. A reflection of the overindulging American way of life, which promotes indulgence and exaggeration in all aspects of society (more pay, more things, more food, bigger, better blah blah blah).
I was sure that the banned Richard B. Riddick once posted a very interesting study performed by a psychologist on eating patterns, disorders, and obesity not too long ago.

I agree with this mostly, though I do feel that people on a whole are becoming less educated, and not caring that they are less so.

But I agree this is a bad decision. What constitutes a "green" food? Food isnt black and white in those regards. Different foods are good for different reasons and you cant just eat one type of food to get a balanced or nutritious diet. People need to just man up and start reading labels, become more educated, and like you said, stop indulging (in many many things).

 

[SpineOrthoTech]

I read ingredients and food labels and will continue to do so. I don't want to partake in a dumbed down society. What would they consider healthy? Food with artificial sweeteners? How is sucralose discovered? It was discovered while in the process of making pesticides for rats. It's proven to be carcinogenic in animal lab tests. Not to mention kidney stone formation, weight gain due to inability to control satiety. I don't want that crap in my body or my family consuming that garbage, therefore it is never an inconvenience for me to take a few seconds of my time to read the labels.

There are false claims in a multitude of food products. Something maybe low in fat may have an exorbitant amount of sodium in it. Or something that may have good fats in it may show high in total fats or cholesterol and will these people who are playing "green light, go" be able to differentiate good fats and bad fats? (Example, salmon).

Screw them and their stop light system.

 

[Bambi]

Just looking at a bag of crisps Ive just snarfed, Calories, sugar, fat, saturates and salt are on there, with the guidline daily percentages. I like it that that info is there, it's quicker than scouring all the information on the back of the packet.

Not that it makes much difference where crisps are concerned, they are my weakness, and il munch through several packets a day