Smart Choices Food Labels Are NOT Such A Smart Choice

Nutritionists are up in arms and they well should be!  There is a new food-labeling campaign that is called Smart Choices and it is being backed by many of the nation's largest food manufacturers.  Maybe that should tell us something right off.  One would have hoped that companies would have used this opportunity to really help parents and get exceptional nutritional products into our children, who are currently in the midst of an obesity epidemic. But that is not how it is playing out.

The green checkmark label will replace some of manufacturers labels that supposedly denoted a healthy choice for consumers and this new label is starting to show up on hundreds of food packages.  Sadly, this label has been placed on products such as Cocoa Krispies and Froot Loops, two cereals that have an over-abundance of sugar.  How did they get the label?  Well, supposedly these cereals are better choices than things like a sugary donut!

Supposedly, the program's criteria is based on government dietary guidelines and widely accepted nutritional standards.  Well then, the guidelines are in major need of change ... we already have children that are suffering because of the packaged foods they are eating,  we don't need Labels that are a real misrepresentation of a true healthy choice for our children and families.

The Smart Choices program has also given this new seal to both regular and light mayonnaise, leading consumers to believe that both are equally healthy.  This label allows packaged meals and sandwiches to contain up to 600 milligrams of sodium, when the daily total is 2400.  How absurd!

We hope you, as parents and caregivers, can see through all this misinformation and that you will make conscious efforts when shopping to choose fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks that contain very few ingredients in them.  We can all benefit from eating healthier and it sure isn't from eating more Cocoa Krispies and Froot Loops.  Don't get me wrong ... I am not boycotting these cereals, I think they are fine on occasion.  I just don't want people choosing foods with this Smart Choices label that I believe is a blatant misrepresentation.