Claiming Health: Front-of-Package Labeling of Children's Food looked at packages with front of package labeling—symbols that identify healthier products—and found that 84% of products studied didn’t meet basic nutritional standards.
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Of these fifty-eight products for kids—some of the best the food industry has to offer—we found only one product that contained a green vegetable. Parents buying a cereal promising high fiber, and low fat, are dishing up a product where sugar is the main ingredient. Reach for a kid-friendly packaged meal, and chances are one in three you'll be serving a high sodium meal (and that's if you stick to the recommended serving size).
"Chronic diseases like diabetes are skyrocketing, and children are predicted to have a shorter life span than their parents. Parents want healthy food for their kids." states Prevention Institute's Executive Director Larry Cohen. "They need food labels that reveal what's really inside, instead of emphasizing one healthy aspect to trick them into buying something fundamentally unhealthy. Mandatory front-of-package labeling guidelines will move us closer to food packages parents can trust."
As Michelle Obama has said, parents shouldn't need a calculator and a magnifying glass to find the healthiest foods for their kids. The food industry can—and should—do better. That's why Prevention Institute is calling on the FDA to step in and require uniform labeling standards for all products that use front-of-package labels. The current, voluntary system is broken.
See the report on CBS 5:
