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claricestarling
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I came across this wonderful article during one of my homework assignments. You can actively help change food labels! Email address is listed at the bottom of the article.
The FDA has a problem. No, really, they want your help. There has been a sharp decline in the number of people reading food labels, and they want you to tell them why.
In 1990, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) made labeling mandatory for most foods. That's when the FDA started to study the label reading habits of Americans. Their studies show that we are headed in the wrong direction. In 1994, 13 percent of consumers had never read a food label, but by 2002, the never-readers increased to 19 percent; however, for consumers younger than age 35, 30 percent have never read a food label – not ever!
It just doesn’t make sense in this age of obesity. Consumers are supposed to rely on food labels to make healthy food choices. To be fair, 60 percent of consumers do read food labels. They do so to insure a food’s healthfulness, to choose food for children, investigate new products, follow-up on nutrition stories, keep track of nutrients, and scrutinize health claims made on the front of the package. That’s what 4,000 US consumers said in interviews conducted by an ingredient manufacturer.
But the FDA is worried about the trend moving in the wrong direction, and they want to hear directly from the people: What does and doesn’t work about the current Nutrition Facts food label, the ingredient list, and the food label as a whole? The FDA has proposed a new voluntary study to identify the health attitudes and beliefs of people who do and don’t read food labels. And so, Calorie Counters, uber-label readers that we are, let's hear it. How can the government make the food label easier to use?
The FDA study is to be conducted via the internet and they are looking for 43,000 people to take part. Study participants will be divided into four groups: over 35s who regularly read labels; over 35s who never read labels; under 35s who regularly read labels; under 35s who never read labels. You can read the proposal in the Federal Register, Internet Survey on Barriers to Food Label Use. The FDA is in the public comment phase until October 23, 2009.
Email your input to: OIRA_[email protected]
The FDA has a problem. No, really, they want your help. There has been a sharp decline in the number of people reading food labels, and they want you to tell them why.
In 1990, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) made labeling mandatory for most foods. That's when the FDA started to study the label reading habits of Americans. Their studies show that we are headed in the wrong direction. In 1994, 13 percent of consumers had never read a food label, but by 2002, the never-readers increased to 19 percent; however, for consumers younger than age 35, 30 percent have never read a food label – not ever!
It just doesn’t make sense in this age of obesity. Consumers are supposed to rely on food labels to make healthy food choices. To be fair, 60 percent of consumers do read food labels. They do so to insure a food’s healthfulness, to choose food for children, investigate new products, follow-up on nutrition stories, keep track of nutrients, and scrutinize health claims made on the front of the package. That’s what 4,000 US consumers said in interviews conducted by an ingredient manufacturer.
But the FDA is worried about the trend moving in the wrong direction, and they want to hear directly from the people: What does and doesn’t work about the current Nutrition Facts food label, the ingredient list, and the food label as a whole? The FDA has proposed a new voluntary study to identify the health attitudes and beliefs of people who do and don’t read food labels. And so, Calorie Counters, uber-label readers that we are, let's hear it. How can the government make the food label easier to use?
The FDA study is to be conducted via the internet and they are looking for 43,000 people to take part. Study participants will be divided into four groups: over 35s who regularly read labels; over 35s who never read labels; under 35s who regularly read labels; under 35s who never read labels. You can read the proposal in the Federal Register, Internet Survey on Barriers to Food Label Use. The FDA is in the public comment phase until October 23, 2009.
Email your input to: OIRA_[email protected]
