The consumer action group Citizens for Health, designated today as "Read Your Labels Day," to create awareness about potentially harmful ingredients and chemicals found in thousands of grocery store products.

The non-profit group singled out these top ten artificial sweeteners, preservatives and chemical additives to avoid and identified which foods contain them and why they should be avoided.

Worst Offenders

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – is a cheap super-sweet chemical made from corn that is found in a wide variety of foods and beverages--from sodas to salad dressing. HFCS and high fructose consumption have been implicated in a variety of diseases and health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and weight gain.

2. Aspartame – This artificial sweetener is found in many diet beverages and other sugar-free foods. Aspartame is considered by experts to be in a class of ingredients called “excitotoxins” that can overly excite brain cells, especially in children and the elderly. Thousands of aspartame-related health complaints, from migraines to memory loss to dizziness to vision problems have been reported to the FDA.

3. 4. and 5. Flavor Enhancers (Hydrolyzed protein, Autolyzed yeast and Monosodium glutamate [MSG]) – These three ingredients are often found in processed foods such as canned or dry soups, chips, dips, frozen dinners, and snacks. All three contain processed glutamic acid that damages brain cells. They are especially harmful to kids, the elderly and developing fetuses. Adverse reactions include skin rashes, asthma attacks, mood swings, upset stomach, migraines, heart irregularities and seizures.

6. Potassium Bromate – Often added to flour, it can be found in breads, flat breads, bakery products and tortillas. (It may also be listed as “bromated flour.”) Potassium bromate has been known for over three decades to cause cancer in laboratory animal and is banned in Europe, China, Canada and Brazil.

7. Bromated Vegetable Oil (BVO) – Beverages containing citrus flavorings often contain this ingredient that has never been declared safe by the FDA and is banned in Europe, India and Japan. BVO builds up in fatty tissue and causes heart damage in research animals.

8. BHA and BHT Preservatives – These additives are found in breakfast cereals, snack foods, pastries and processed meats. Made from coal tar or petroleum, these chemicals affect brain chemistry of laboratory animals and are considered a carcinogen in California and a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

9. Trans Fats – Food products that list “partially hydrogenated oil” as an ingredient contain trans fats. These oils/fats are usually found in baked goods, snack foods and frozen meals. Trans fats increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and contribute to heart disease. High consumption has also been linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.

10. Artificial Colors – Often made from coal tar and/or petroleum extracts, artificial colors are widely acknowledged to cause hyperactivity and behavioral problems in some children. Certain colors, such as Red #3, have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals, but are still allowed to be used in foods.

Tips to Avoid

The best way to avoid these and other artificial ingredients is to purchase whole, fresh foods or organic processed foods. Otherwise, taking a moment to “Read the Label” is a must to protect you and your family from these chemicals.

Blind Trust

Although many shoppers already read label ingredients, a 2011 study from market research firm Mintel found that less than half of consumers surveyed checked the ingredient labels on the foods they bought.

"I think consumers will be surprised to see just how many everyday supermarket products there are that contain things like monosodium glutamate, aspartame, and High Fructose Corn Syrup," said Jim Turner, who chairs Citizens for Health. "No one needs these ingredients in their diets, and this campaign will help families avoid them."

For more on this topic, see Fooled by Food Labels: 9 Deceptive Claims to Watch Out For.

Sources:

Progressive Grocer

Citizens for Health

Let’s face it, many food labels can be misleading. They can lead us to believe that a product contains (or doesn’t contain) something when that’s not really the case, or labels may not tell the whole story. While touting “I’m a good healthy choice” on one count, closer inspection reveals the product fails to deliver on others—like too much added sugar, salt, or saturated fats.

Take the term “whole grain” for example; a study by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) reviewed five different industry and government guidelines for classifying foods as whole grain:

• The Whole Grain Stamp, a packaging symbol for products containing at least 8 g of whole grains per serving. (created by the Whole Grain Council, a non-governmental organization supported by industry dues.)
• Any whole grain as the first listed ingredient. (as defined by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s MyPlate and the Food and Drug Administration’s Consumer Health Information guide)
• Any whole grain as the first ingredient without added sugars in the first three ingredients (also the standard used by USDA’s MyPlate)
• The word “whole” before any grain anywhere in the ingredient list (recommended by USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010)
• The “10:1 ratio,” a ratio of total carbohydrate to fiber of less than 10 to 1, which is approximately the ratio of carbohydrate to fiber in whole wheat flour (recommended by the American Heart Association’s 2020 Goals)

Then the researchers analyzed the nutritional content of 545 grain products (breads, bagels, English muffins, cereals, crackers, cereal bars, granola bars and chips.)

As it turned out, products with the Whole Grain Stamp were higher in fiber and lower in trans fats, but also contained more sugar and calories compared to products that didn’t bear the stamp.

If you had followed any of the three USDA criteria for identifying a healthy grain product, your results would be mixed.

The American Heart Association’s standard based on a 10:1 ratio of carbohydrates to fiber proved to be the best indicator of overall healthfulness. Products meeting this ratio were higher in fiber and lower in trans fats, sugar, and sodium, without higher calories than products that did not meet the ratio.

The Takeaway

This study underscores a few important tips that can help you make healthy food choices:

• Choose whole foods instead of processed foods.
• If purchasing processed foods, choose the one made from whole ingredients without additives (preservatives, dyes, artificial flavors, etc.)
• Scan the “Nutrition Facts” box and ingredients list. Choose a product:
  • without added sugars
  • no trans fats (hydrogenated oils) and little or no fat overall
  • low sodium
  • fewest/no additives

We cover these tips and more in greater detail in our guide, Fooled by Food Labels: 9 Deceptive Claims to Watch Out For.

Source:

Harvard University

If you’re concerned about pesticides in produce or hormones and antibiotics in meat or poultry, you may have noticed that the food industry is responding to concerned consumers like you with new food labels that tout “all-natural” and “naturally raised.” But what do these terms really mean? And, does anybody verify or regulate some of these claims?

You might be surprised to find that many terms are ill-defined, unregulated or may not be as “animal friendly” as they sound.

Have You Seen These Terms?

Raised without Antibiotics – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has defined this to mean that meat or poultry products came from animals who were raised without the use of low-level doses of antibiotics. However, there is no organization that routinely conducts tests to verify these claims. In the last few years, at least one large poultry producer made this claim despite feeding antibiotics to chickens. The FDA only stepped in after they were taken to court by their competitors.

No Additives – While you might assume this means that nothing has been added to the product such as fillers, preservatives or flavors this is not the case. There is no formal definition for this term so you might want to scan the ingredients list.

Chemical-free – Under USDA regulations, this term isn't allowed on meat or poultry labels, so this is a big “red flag.” Other disallowed terms include: "residue-free," "residue tested," "naturally raised," "naturally grown" or "drug-free."

Natural or All Natural – Under USDA regulations, this term may be used on labeling for meat and poultry products if the product doesn't contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, or chemical preservative, or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient. The product and its ingredients should also be minimally processed. Furthermore, the product label must explain what is meant by natural, i.e. (no preservatives or artificial flavors). The term has no meaning with regard to animal feeding or welfare.

100% Vegan – This term does not have a standard definition, nor is it verified. However a “Certified Vegan” label, which is administered by the Vegan Awareness Foundation, (aka Vegan Action) does mean that the product is not only free of animal products, it is also not tested on animals.

No Animal By-Products – You might see this term on anything from bacon to cat food. It can mean that the meat you are purchasing came from an animal that was not fed animal by-products or that the product is not made with animal by-products. Again, the problem with this term is that there is not a precise definition of “animal ingredients,” nor is it verified by anyone.

Free-Range – You might see this term on eggs or poultry and think it means that the chickens have never seen the inside of a cage, but that’s not the case. Per the USDA, it only means they have access to the outdoors for an undetermined period of time each day. It may only be for 5 minutes. And it doesn’t mean that they have not been subjected to other practices like beak clipping that may be considered inhumane.

Grass Fed vs. Pasture Raised – Under USDA regulations, grass fed means that grass and forage are the feed source for ruminant animals (such as cattle, sheep, bison) for the duration of their life after weaning. Animals can't be fed grain or grain byproducts. They must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. The term pasture raised, means that ruminants have access to the outdoors as well as access to pasture. But only 30% of their dry-feed intake must come from pasture. The balance can be grain products.

Cage-Free – this means that laying hens live uncaged, typically within a barn or other enclosed area. They must have unlimited access to food and water and the freedom to roam within the enclosed area. Cage-free doesn't mean the hens have access to the outdoors. While the birds can engage in some natural behaviors, such as nesting and spreading their wings, practices such as beak cutting are allowed.

Certified Humane – This certification is administered by Humane Farm Animal Care to ensure humane treatment of farm animals from birth through slaughter. The USDA does not regulate this certification.

For more information on this topic, see: Fooled by Food Labels: 9 Deceptive Claims to Watch Out For.

Sources:

USDA

The Daily Green

Hella Wella

Mayo Clinic

In the last few years you probably noticed an increase in the amount of nutritional information on the front of food packaging. This includes graphics saying “all natural” or “better for you.” Others list the amount of sugar, fiber, and fat in the product. Others are endorsements by a health organization. These front-of-pack labels or “FOP” labels are at the center of a controversy that’s pitting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against food manufacturers and associations.

Currently the FDA doesn’t regulate Front of Pack labeling, but they are in the process of attempting to develop standards for them which are now defined by each company or organization.

The federal government became concerned about FOP labeling as their use exploded and the labels became increasingly misleading. With different label criteria and label formats from each company, consumers were bombarded with different and often incomplete information. For example, manufactures can tout “sugar-free” or “all natural” for a food that is loaded with saturated fat and virtually no other redeeming nutrients. In essence, foods can be made to appear healthier than they really are.

Last year the Centers for Disease Control along with the FDA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to step in and review the labeling in use, make recommendations on how to clean up the mess and suggest a standard FOP scheme.

In anticipation of the coming standards, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute developed the Nutrition Keys or “Facts Up Front” system. It consists of at least four basic icons for calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars per serving. An optional format includes two “nutrients to encourage” (potassium, fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium and iron). All of these are either shortfall nutrients or are required to be on the nutrition facts panel. This scheme is already in use now and some charge this was a deliberate attempt to undermine the impending IOM recommendations.

“Facts Up Front” FOP labeling system developed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute.

Institute of Medicine Recommendations

Just last month the IOM released the second of two reports which contains their recommendations that any FDA approved FOP scheme:

• Prominently display all information based on serving size
• Include calories per serving
• In addition to calories, allow only three other items in any front-of-package evaluation scheme: 1) saturated and trans fat, 2) sodium and 3) sugars.
• Adopt a point system to evaluate food products based on the levels of those three items. Their sample design uses stars to signify points. The more stars a product has, the better it is for you.

The IOM says their recommendations focus on helping consumers make healthy food choices that address Americans biggest health challenges: obesity, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. The rating system is a fundamental--and some say courageous--change for the FDA. Until now the FDA only provided nutrition facts and left it up to the consumer to interpret that information.

Sample of system proposed by the Institute of Medicine.

Industry Response

The food industry favors their “Facts-up-Front” label as it contains information from the Nutrition Facts label already regulated by the FDA. They oppose any scheme, such as that recommended by the IOM, which includes a rating system. The industry cites its own surveys that indicate consumers don’t want to be told by the government what to eat. They also believe that a system that uses interpretive symbols that rate criteria negatively, but do not include positive criteria are inherently unfair and misleading.

Great Britain’s FOP Labels

In case you’re wondering how are neighbors across the pond are handling this controversy, Great Britain FOP labels use a “traffic light” scheme. It rates products based on four criteria: total fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt per serving. (It does not include calories.) Each criterion is color coded red, yellow, or green to indicate if the amount in the product is too low or high. For example, if the amount of sugar is high by their regulatory standards, the sugar symbol is red.

“Traffic light” FOP system used in Great Britain

Whether consumers will use the information to improve their diets is another matter. According to data from the independent research group HealthFocus, nearly half of American shoppers say they would like to see calories, saturated fat, sodium and trans fat clearly labeled on food packaging to help them avoid unhealthy products. However, they found that only 36 percent of obese shoppers read on-pack nutritional information compared to 55 percent of shoppers overall, and obese shoppers were less likely to say that they paid attention to their diet.

Sources:

Food Navigator

Grocery Manufacturers Association

Food Navigator

Facts Up Front