Food Deserves Labels

1489 Words3 Pages

If we label articles such as cleaning supplies and nail polish remover that will do harm when ingested then why do we not label foods that can cause serious illness of death? Each day thousands of adults and children are diagnosed with disabling conditions such as heart disease and diabetes and the rates are rapidly increasing. Many of these lifelong impairments are directly related to the diets that we attest to as a society. Foods with GMO’s, hydrogenated oils, artificial sugars (aspartame), high fructose corn syrup, and monosodium glutamate ought to be clearly labeled on the front of its packaging for the consumer to recognize. Daily, millions of people are perusing the grocery store, buying food for their families, completely unaware of what they are purchasing. A study on consumer research regarding food labels by the FDA found only a small percentage of people actually read the food labels and understand what they mean apart from only the calories and fat; ingredients are another story. “According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, about 61.5 percent reported using the nutrition facts panel when deciding to purchase food. Fewer people paid attention to the list of ingredients” (CNN Health). The FDA is aware that labeling could help reverse the acceleration we are seeing in heart diseases and obesity, but labeling does not help people to read the ingredients if they do not understand pseudonyms, and vitamins. “The surveys also revealed frequent misunderstanding of the meaning of the daily/value column that shows how each nutrient fits into a healthy diet, “(American journal Nutrition, WEB). Many different harmful ingredients are secretly hidden in labels and people skimming ov... ... middle of paper ... .../08/070823094819.htm>.7 March 2014 Harvard School of Public Health “Shining the spotlight on trans fats.” Harvard Nutrition source, n.d. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/transfats/ 7 March 2014 Mayo Clinic. “What is MSG? Is it bad for you? Health and Nutrition, Monosodium Glutamate Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. 3 April 2012. http://www.mayoclinic.org/monosodium-glutamate/expert-answers/faq-20058196 7 March 2014 Center for food Safety. “New peer reviewed study on gmo pig feed reveals adverse effects.” N.P., 11 June 2013 http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/2291/new-peer-reviewed-study-on-gmo-pig-feed-reveals-adverse-effects# 7 March 2014 American Cancer Society. “Aspartame. What is Aspartame?” Learn About Cancer, Carcinogens. N.P. 17 February 2011 http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/aspartame 7 March 2014

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