Re: Food labels changing

Irish Rosebud · ‎11-17-2010

On 2/27/2014 Cakers1 said:
Um - does anybody know how to READ a label? You can ask to see the nutrition label on anything you want sliced at a deli.

Calories, fat, etc. are on canned goods, frozen dinners, etc.

If you want to know what is in your food, read the label. Those who don't care, won't bother anyway.

Not necessarily.

Here's an example.

Note that the nutritional information given is per serving size. Note on the ingredients list that sugar is listed as an ingredient between salt and lemon juice. Note that the sodium content per serving is 4% (90 mg)(% daily value based on a 2,000 daily calorie diet). Note that total carbohydrate content per serving is 0% (0 mg). How can that be? Is there sugar (a carbohydrate) in the mayonaisse or not?

The major factor determining what is on the food label is the regulation regarding the contents labeling. How can a product which contains sugar as an ingredient contain 0% carbohydrates? The regulation for the labeling allows it. Since the "Nutrition Facts" portion of the label is per serving size, if the ingredient is under a certain weight (let's say, for this example and for the purpose of illustration, 50 mg or less of an ingredient per serving -- although I haven't checked the regulation for the exact threshold amount) in a serving as defined on the label, it doesn't have to be listed. That's precisely why some serving sizes are so small: so that certain ingredients don't appear in the nutritional values, even though the ingredient is in the food.

Thus, changing the size of the serving [larger] would change the amount of the ingredient in a serving [larger] -- and conceivably affect whether the nutritional value has to be listed.

Even if you read both halves of the content label (and I always do; that's how I know about this particular example), you cannot be fully informed about what is in this particular food. Many food labels are like that because of the way the regulations are written.

Another example: ingredients listed in descending order of amount is not a requirement for all food products.

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

Frankly, I would be more interested in what is in the food and how it's made. Remember the horrors of finding out that when defrosted, one of the fast food chain's hamburger meats turned into "pink slime?" I never, ever eat any fast food from anywhere and haven't for years. In fact, I do not eat hamburger or any other kind of meat at all anymore, not even chicken or turkey. I sometimes long for meat loaf, which I happen to have been "famous" for, but I can't trust the chopped beef anymore. It's sad.

I eat a lot of frozen salmon, shrimp, and other types of fish. I also eat four eggs a week. But many times I eat just rice and vegetables, baked potatoes, and cheese, which I know is not a proper diet either, but at least it's not pink slime!!

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986

kdgn · ‎03-09-2010

Ford, some grocery store butchers will grind the meat for you, right in front of your eyes. You hand them the meat you want them to grind, they do it and hand it right back to you, packaged and priced. I think you have to make arrangements ahead of time to make sure their grinder is available.

ive been framed · ‎06-08-2012

I like the idea of changing the portion size info into cups, tablespoon etc instead of grams or ounces. I don't care what the companies consider a portion size. We eat more or less no matter what.

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

On 2/28/2014 kdgn said:
Ford, some grocery store butchers will grind the meat for you, right in front of your eyes. You hand them the meat you want them to grind, they do it and hand it right back to you, packaged and priced. I think you have to make arrangements ahead of time to make sure their grinder is available.

I don't go out anymore except to doctor's offices (too much with the wheelchair, etc., not worth the trouble). Besides, aren't the cattle already all medicated up even before they are slaughtered?

It's not that I am that worried about poisoning myself, kdgn, I am too old to reverse what has happened to me over my lifetime, and I and my family (and all of us really) have eaten krappy food for decades now. Even salads are not clean because of the way the plants are fertilized.

I worry about my kids and my grandkids and the generations that follow us. Whatever, it is what it is, and at this point kinda moot to even discuss.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986

JobGirl · ‎12-30-2010

On 2/27/2014 voyager1980 said:
On 2/27/2014 Qwackertoo said:
I wish they'd cut portions in HALF in restaurants. Perhaps a corresponding 25-33% reduction in prices would help too. I realize they couldn't probably cut BOTH in half. Half the food, more people could afford to eat out more often . . . Win-Win. And those who really need that much food could order two entrees.

I love when we go out with my daughter . . . she & I almost always share and we both are plenty full.

I wish restaurants would give smaller portions too.

why not just ask for a half order of something -people do take leftovers home for another meal and they if they change their portion sizes for the whole menu they won't lower their prices...

why not just not eat the whole thing?

and many restaurants won't allow 2 people to only order 1 entrée and split -

Cakers1 · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/28/2014 Irish Rosebud said:
On 2/27/2014 Cakers1 said:
Um - does anybody know how to READ a label? You can ask to see the nutrition label on anything you want sliced at a deli.

Calories, fat, etc. are on canned goods, frozen dinners, etc.

If you want to know what is in your food, read the label. Those who don't care, won't bother anyway.

Not necessarily.

Here's an example.

Note that the nutritional information given is per serving size. Note on the ingredients list that sugar is listed as an ingredient between salt and lemon juice. Note that the sodium content per serving is 4% (90 mg)(% daily value based on a 2,000 daily calorie diet). Note that total carbohydrate content per serving is 0% (0 mg). How can that be? Is there sugar (a carbohydrate) in the mayonaisse or not?

The major factor determining what is on the food label is the regulation regarding the contents labeling. How can a product which contains sugar as an ingredient contain 0% carbohydrates? The regulation for the labeling allows it. Since the "Nutrition Facts" portion of the label is per serving size, if the ingredient is under a certain weight (let's say, for this example and for the purpose of illustration, 50 mg or less of an ingredient per serving -- although I haven't checked the regulation for the exact threshold amount) in a serving as defined on the label, it doesn't have to be listed. That's precisely why some serving sizes are so small: so that certain ingredients don't appear in the nutritional values, even though the ingredient is in the food.

Thus, changing the size of the serving [larger] would change the amount of the ingredient in a serving [larger] -- and conceivably affect whether the nutritional value has to be listed.

Even if you read both halves of the content label (and I always do; that's how I know about this particular example), you cannot be fully informed about what is in this particular food. Many food labels are like that because of the way the regulations are written.

Another example: ingredients listed in descending order of amount is not a requirement for all food products.

Irish: Good post. Thank you. I didn't know that some labels do not include sugar as a carb.

mgm2 · ‎09-15-2012

Food labels changing...FANTASTIC but they still have a long way to go. For example, "natural" versus organic, gmo foods and food safety standards from foreign countries.