Originally Posted by kyrasdad

I always bring a little bag of almonds in with me. But I still see no valid reason nutrition information should not be required.

Originally Posted by Citruskiss

You know what would be funny? If they put the nutrition information on the labels and so on...but then later on, tried to add something seemingly "healthy" to make it seem better, somehow.

I'm reminded of the time I spied a box of chocolate covered ooey-gooey granola bars at the grocery store, emblazoned with "OMEGA 3." They'd added a tiny amount of omega 3 to sort of get in on the latest/greatest thing that people were figuring out might be healthy.

I can see it now...there'll be things like Green Tea Popcorn or whatever the 'latest' thing is. Anti-oxidant enriched? It'll be something like that. Or maybe it'll turn out to be "VEGAN" if they don't use real butter.

Originally Posted by kyrasdad

They do that now. Whole grain pop tarts and Froot Loops. some of that crap even qualifies for the AHA label.

Originally Posted by Altari

Why don't you elaborate on why it's silly instead of making blanket statements?

Information is only useful if it's actionable. If I hand you a bag and only say, "This food has 2 carbs per serving," what's the logical first question?

Here's the issue as I see it: the PTD don't want labeling to give people info. They have an outcome they want. If people see coke has 140 calories per 12 ounces, and order a large coke, they'll lowball it. It's 20 ounces [233 calories], not 32 ounces [373 calories]. The person overshoots by 150 calories a day, and gains 15 pounds in a year! So, the PTB want labels that provide accurate amounts so people will make "smart" choices. Someone who wants a 20 ounce drink will order a medium instead.

But you can't do that with unmeasured concessions. It's not silly to point that out. Since this action has a desired outcome, enforcing it in all situations without taking into account variables is an exercise in failure.

Originally Posted by Citruskiss

Yep - I once saw some turkey sausages in a store, with a fancy 'American Heart Association' logo on the package. Picked up the package, looked at the ingredients...they had "corn syrup solids" in them.

Originally Posted by Bipley

When you write something worthy of elaborating on..

Originally Posted by JLeigh

You know, it's really disheartening for a new member of the forum, who is trying to get a feel for the "tone", to run into snark like the above.

Originally Posted by ncrn122

Seems unnecessary to me. I've got no cat in this fight, but everyone is free to express an opinion....so why the rudness.

Originally Posted by kyrasdad

This is why I've come to the conclusion that no labeling of food as "light", "low fat", "whole grain", "low carb", or anything else should be allowed. Those labels are entirely about marketing. The standards are too easy to game, and it allows companies to put a false health halo on processed carb-goop. I'm even skeptical of organic labeling for that reason.

Whole grain is the most odious of these. It allows you to falsely portray an unhealthy product as healthy.