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'Smart' food labels coming Get the details

November 16, 2008 12:36 am

COMING in 2009: a new food labeling system designed to help us better understand what's in our foods.

Although it's not perfect, the Smart Choices Program is a groundbreaking effort to find consensus among scientists and food companies about what foods deserve to be promoted as healthy choices.

The voluntary labeling program would allow foods that meet certain nutritional benchmarks to use the Smart Choices logo on the front of food packages. The logo is a thumbnail-size green check mark with the words "Smart Choices Program: Guiding Food Choices" and a square containing the number calories per serving and servings per package.

The goal of this independent program is lofty: to help an overweight nation avoid excess and to promote healthy foods. The program aims to promote foods that limit fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium, following the government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

It also requires most foods to either be high in nutrients or include specific food groups if they are to get the Smart Choices logo. For example, a food should have at least 10 percent of the recommended daily value of any one of the following nutrients: calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium or vitamin A, C or E. If a food is not high in any one nutrient, it may still qualify if it provides a half-serving of fruits, vegetables, whole grains or low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

MARKETING PLOY?

It remains to be seen whether the program will be used to promote whole foods, or twisted to market things like vitamin-fortified sugar-free gelatin as a health food equal to fresh fruit.

The rules, which are expected to take effect by the middle of next year, apparently are very loose regarding sugary cereals. That may mean cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Reese's Puffs could end up with the Smart Choices logo.

Concern about those rules prompted nutrition watchdog Michael Jacobson to resign from the Smart Choices coalition, according to several media reports. Jacobson leads the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. I called Jacobson to talk this over, but didn't reach him.

General Mills is among those planning to participate in the program, which company officials believe will benefit consumers.

"[Consumers] will get a food that both does have the limits and contributes something positive to their health," said General Mills vice president Susan Crockett, whose company makes foods including Cheerios, Hamburger Helper and Häagen-Dazs.

Other companies that have said they'll participate include giants Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Kellogg, Kraft, PepsiCo and Wal-Mart.

The program singles out "smart choices," but consumers will not know whether unlabeled foods met the criteria or even applied to be part of the program.

Crockett said that scientists, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and government and public health groups were consulted in the development of the standards. The Keystone Center, a nonprofit group, mediated the players in the Smart Choices coalition.

LOOK CLOSELY

As the saying goes, "The devil is in the details." As a dietitian, I applaud the goals of the new labeling system. However, I am concerned about loopholes.

The rules may encourage manufacturers to modify foods in good ways: for example, lower-sodium vegetable soups. But I think some products might be boosted in less effective ways, such as white bread fortified with a small amount of calcium, or sugar-free gelatin fortified with vitamin C.

I'm not saying white bread and sugar-free gelatin are bad. But they are not equal to their healthier counterparts, like wheat bread and oranges. An orange, for instance, is rich in vitamin C, fiber and countless natural phytochemicals. Yet in the eyes of the new labeling program, sugar-free gelatin and an orange are equally "smart choices."

More details about the plan:

To be awarded the Smart Choices logo, cereals must have no more than 12 grams of added sugars per serving. That's the equivalent of about 4 teaspoons of sugar. In my opinion, that's a bit sugary for something that's not dessert.

Cheeses, milk, yogurt and other dairy products would have to limit fat, similar to 1 percent or low-fat milk. They also would need to have less than 240 milligrams of sodium and less than 12 grams of added sugars per cup, which again seems a bit sweet.

Snacks and desserts can have no more than 100 calories; 3 grams of fat; 1 gram of saturated fat; 240 milligrams of sodium; and 6 grams of added sugar. These are stricter limits than for cereals and dairy products, which is interesting.

Smart Choices beverages would be low in calories. The rules exclude regular sodas, but may allow vitamin waters and vitamin-fortified energy drinks on the same level as 100 percent fruit juice, if I understand them. Again, I disagree with this standard.

However, the program is still evolving, and I hope that experts and consumers will contact the coalition and suggest improvements. The basic concept--making food labels easier to read--is great.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteat ing.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.