After being in market for under a year, the FDA has ordered food companies to discontinue the usage of the “Smart Choices” food labels, citing concerns over the standards used to choose products that are included in the program.
My feelings on the issue are mixed– at its heart, I dont’ think the program was meant to do harm to consumers, and perhaps, even if included on a box of Trix, it made people more conscious of food nutritional values. Or maybe it just made them buy more and think they were being “healthy.” In either case, the program will be no-more for a while.
I am sure that many in the industry are happy (especially Marion Nestle), but hopefully a meaningful and nutritionally-beneficial program will come out of this. I think the idea is there and is good– it’s time for the food companies and the FDA to make it a reality.
PS: I know that I owe you all a few entries on Paris. It’s been nuts here, so I apologize.
0 Responses to “Smart choices no longer so smart.”