I think it is programs like this which make me want to chain myself to something in protest.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/business/05smart.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4&partner=rss
I think it's the duplicity and dishonesty--the attempt to dupe the public which outrages me more than anything. There is something very, very sick with the US food system.
But it's not about people, is it? The food business doesn't care about people. And neither does its "watch dogs."
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The most "war is peace" element of Smart Choices is that it's justified by the consumer wanting "more" information, but it provides LESS information than existing labeling standards.
It's really not the food system as a whole. Ordinary supermarkets carry organic foods and such. It's that a handful of big manufacturers are playing games. Effects will hit inner-city poor hardest, as they're the ones who shop at stores that only carry processed foods (and arguably the people with the lowest literacy skills, so a green check mark should mean more to them), and they're the ones who shop at corner stores where all the food is processed.
"research showed that, while shoppers wanted more information, they did not want to hear negative messages or feel their choices were being dictated to them. "
...so just tell them what they WANT to hear. That Froot Loops is good for you because it has, um, grains!
This kind of thing is just so irritating.
One marketing catch-phrase that I've noticed all over the place is "...x grams of whole grains in every serving!" But what does that mean? There is no corresponding measurement on the nutrition label. How do you even measure whole grains? It's just an empty, made up term.
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