The food label is one of the most important and useful tools that Canadians have access to that allows them to make educated decisions about the food that they are consuming. Food labels are intended to help consumers make choices based on nutrients and the ones that are most important to them and their health. Food labels include the product name, name and address of the manufacturer, net contents, such as the weight, measure, or count, ingredients listed in order by weight, and nutrient content based on a 2000 daily calorie intake.
2. What mandatory information do you get from a nutrition label (including the nutrition facts panel)?
Every nutrition label must offer consumers with the mandatory amount of information found on the nutrition
While shopping and gazing at all the foods, some of the labels were harder to read than others. Foods such as seasonings would be strictly in the Spanish language therefore I didn’t know anything about the product. More common known foods such as chips or meats when have the Spanish heading in bold across the label and then at the bottom have the description of the food in English. Some packages had pict...
As labeled on the estimated daily calorie needs for adults chart, I am an active man under the group age of 19-30 years old. As per mentioned on the chart I need 3000 calories per day to remain healthy. After looking at Canada’s food guide, I became aware about the recommended number of food guide servings per day for various age groups.
The act of manufactures labeling of our foods products in terms of the ingredients a particular product contains and the nutritious facts is sometimes taken for granted, we often see the labels on our food products, but ignore them because we’re so used to seeing them in our daily lives. Surprisingly, food product labeling, specifically that pertaining to allergen warnings, were not always available to consumers until a government mandate in 2004 (FALCPA). I think part of the reason for such a lateness in regulation was due to a social stigma regarding allergies, that having them was some sort of natural selection and not an issue that should be taken care of. Another surprising notion I came across was that although there was no government regulation, manufactures of food products took a good amount of initiative in letting their consumers know of potential allergens in their products.
A mandatory labeling law is vital to give clear and concise information to citizens.
With all the unregulated dietary supplements being sold and recommended, our health insurance costs will continue to rise. If the product causes severe side effects, it should no longer be permitted to be sold in stores. The only way to touch the minds of many people is to inform them of the dangers of consuming dietary supplements. Disposing of all incorrect information in product labeling and ingredient lists is important. People need to recognize the faults that plague many advertisements. In addition businesses should promote safe products instead of the harmful ones that they advocate for. The United States Congress should consider regulating dietary supplements to maintain safety. If people are aware of the many lies companies present, then dietary supplements will be one less problem to worry about.
Since more people are becoming conscious of how nutrition affects health, they have come to rely on nutrition information to help them make healthier food decisions. Some sources of nutrition inforamtion that people may encounter are the inernet, product labels, friends and family. People receive most of their nutrition information from media sources like television, magazines, newspapers and books. After reading the article about food and nutrition misinformation I think there is a lot of nutrition misinformation because a lot of sources dont have complete nutrition information. Most people use the internet to get information and the internet deosnt always give accurate information to readers. Another reason for nutrition misinformation is
Too much information on a food label might have caused a lot of painful headaches for consumers, but it's all worth it, due to many health and nutrition problems. By law, manufacturers must abide by the standard code terms of what is put on their food label. By this, a food label must have no false claims or information, be in English, legible and easy to see. Also must contain a barcode, name of food, list of ingredients in descending order of weight, net weight, any additives in the food, country of origin, use of imported ingredients, name and address of manufacturer, date marking and nutrition panel if any claims are made. Food and Health claims Food claims seemed to be marketing to a manufacturer, but now it is a warning to a consumer's health.
Connolly, C. (1992). A new era in nutrition guidance in Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/context/hist/fq_history-histoire_ga-eng.php
Putting Nutrition into Nutrition Standards for Marketing to Kids:, July, 2012th ser. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2014, from http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/iwg-report.pdf
More and More people are becoming concerned about what they eat, especially if they consume food products that are manufactured in food industries. However, it is hard to know what exactly you are consuming if food industries provide false nutrition content and mislead consumers by placing false advertisements on the packaging. When a company produces a product that contains misleading label, consumers are not receiving complete information about the food they are eating which could lead to health issues including allergies and problems with diabetes.
A dietary assessment method is a critical component in many aspects of nutritional epidemiology such as evaluating energy and nutrient intake in free-living individuals (Taren, et al., 2002). The purpose of dietary assessment data collection is to establish the causal associations between diet and disease aetiology (Jain, et al., 1996). However, it is very difficult to measure exactly how much food people eat or to determine the nutrient content of the diet (Wild, et al., 2001). Therefore, the valid and precise techniques are required to estimate accurate and detailed information on food and nutrient intake as well as eating patterns for identification of the dietary influence on health and disease (Bingham, et al.,1994).
They concluded that, whilst the evidence reviewed did not support menu labeling as an effective strategy to change purchasing patterns, additional strategies to enhance menu labelling practices, and strategies beyond labeling (including implementation of nutritional standards), may be useful (Bowen et al.,
information and awareness in the food environment. In numerous restaurants I discovered that nutritional information such as how many calories an item has was not included on the menu. This really disappointed me as this recent initiative has been really helpful for me these past few months. Recently, when I have gone out to eat and looked at menus, seeing how many calories an item has really brought awareness to my food choices and has helped me make better ones. I was surprised to discover how many calories were in certain items, especially when it came to drinks. In many cases I was shocked about how many calories some of the food items on the menu contained. Knowing the nutritional value of the food items, encouraged me to rethink what I was eating and further more allowed me to make better choices. I also like when food establishments have specific items that are healthier or lighter as once again I end up making a better choice. I was really disappointed when the numerous food places in my neighbourhood did not include any of this information, as I think it would be extremely beneficial to their customers. I also think it would be eye opening to residents as it would make them reconsider their favourite foods. That being said, all the blame cannot be put on the food establishments. At the end of the day, its up to the individual themselves to be aware of the foods they are
Food is anything we consume, whether it is for taste or for nutritional value. The nutritional value of a food is the value the food gives to the body to function. To identify whether a food has poor or good nutritional value, people use a nutrition facts chart. These charts can display the amount of fat, sugar, calories, fiber, carbohydrates, cholesterol, calories, and more.
Foods and grocery items are marketed toward health by letting the consumers know what they are getting before they buy it – providing people with facts about health as well as promising they will get something in return like a healthier life. Health claims describe the relationship between a food and the risk of a disease. A health claim states or implies that a food has valuable dietary properties, like being Trans fat free, boosting immunity, being high in fiber, and containing a reduced about of total fat. It is important that products that make health claima have a identified amount of the valuable dietary properties that is directly tied to the disease it claims to help. An example of a health claim would be foods that have high calcium content, which may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, or foods that are low in fat which may help reduce the risk of some cancers (FDA.gov). The requirements of these health claims must be maintained and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These claims are important for the buyers to know about; and, therefore they are suitable to be placed on the label of foods. Using the same example above, if people are interested in reducing their risk of osteoporosis, it is helpful for them to know that the foods they are thinking about buying will or will not help them achieve that objective.