Britnee Haslam

Issue Summary
English 1010
Rebecca Miner
Issue Summary

Most people in America do not stop to ask what is in the ice cream
and pizza that they are consuming everyday. The general population either
does not know or does not care to read the nutrition labels found on the
back of the foods that they consume on a daily basis. Health professionals,
and those interested and knowledgable about the impact of nutrition on the
body want to make a change, while packaged food production companies
would prefer to keep the nutrition label somewhat discrete. Everyday
consumers are either unaware of the impact that the harsh ingredients in
these foods can have on their body, or they chose to not take interest in it.

There are many sides to this argument, all with validated reasoning.
Food production companies want to keep the average American ignorant of
the nutrition label and the importance of healthy decisions in order to make
money. Health professionals (and those aware and knowledgable about
health and nutrition) want to see a change so that consumers will be fully
informed and able to make a decision based off of knowledge rather than
packaging. Then there is the the average consumer who generally does not
really know how to read the label. If they do they are unsure of what is
really healthy or they are misinformed of what is really healthy so they make
the wrong decisions when it comes to food. "Health claims can alter
consumers perceptions to- ward specific food products" (Colby, Sarah,
LuAnn Johnson, Angela Scheme, Bonita Hovers)

Food Production Companies encourage the ignorance of the average

consumer. "Food companies are on trial for contributing to the grow- ing
problem of obesity in the United States and abroad." (Wansink, Chandon) It

is said that most people instantly go towards "Healthy terms" such as low
fat. (Wansink, Chandon) Most of the opinions stemming from production of
the labels seems to be either as a company or the select few that are able
to make money off of the sales of the packaged food. This position is fairly
unified amongst companies that produce this project. The stake for these
positions includes retaliation and most of the time, slander from those with
opposing opinions. These companies have become the new "big tobacco"
industry. This issue is extremely important due to the rising awareness of
misleading nutrition labels. The companies can lose a substantial amount
of money if the nutrition facts are not what the company feels like the
consumer would want to put in their body. If nutrition labels were true to
what is inside to food the consumers may benefit and the processed food
industry may suffer. For now, food industries are fighting to keep the current
standards rather than the added nutrition facts health professionals are
asking to be made a standard

A rising problem within the food company industry stems from

inaccuracy on the nutrition labels. It is said that the F.D.A allows packaged
food labels to be misleading and somewhat inaccurate when it comes to
listing the nutrients of the food label. Even if vitamins and minerals are
added to the food. (Hill) Nutrition labels are not legally required to be
perfectly accurate. It is allowed to be approximately 20% off when listing
nutrients on the label.
Regarding Dietitians/Health Professionals, positions come from a large
group of people. It comes from health professionals, dietitians, nutritionist,
FDA, and other associations advocating for a more knowledgable
consumer. This position is backed up by many different groups across a ton
of different fields. There are not many stakes to this position however it is a
current large debate amongst many different positions. If this debate goes
far enough this position could go far enough to enhance the standards for
required nutrition facts. If this passes through the average as well as the
educated consumer will benefit. Proposals on this issue include a stricter

label making it much more accurate as well as adding nutrients onto the
label.

When it comes to the average American, most of the people in this position
don't truly take a position. The average american (who is not interested or
knowledgable in health and nutrition) does not know how to read a nutrition
label or what to even look for. "A wide range of studies have examined the
association
between label use and health practices. Individuals with
healthier eating habits report greater use of nutrition labels,
either as a result of personal preference or because of the requirements of
a health-related diet" (Compos, Doxey, Hammond) The average American
looks for phrases like low sugar and low fat rather than really reading and
analyzing the nutrients within the food that they may purchase. "A variety of
studies indicate that many consumers have difficulty with the quantitative
information presented on labels, especially with respect to recommended

daily amounts, per cent daily values, serving sizes or other forms of
reference information on the label" (Compos, Doxey, Hammond) This is
somewhat unified due to the fact that this position includes most of the
American population. The stake for this position includes not being fully
informed of what you are putting inside your body. In order to truly be
informed a consumer must know not only what is on the nutrition label but
what to look for and what works best for your goals and your body. Without
this knowledge and or concern there is a much higher risk for obesity and
diseases that are commonly associated with obesity. There are not many
proposals being made simply because most people are ignorant of the
issue.

Bibliography

Compose, Sarah, Juliana Doxey, and David Hammond. "Nutrition Labels on Pre Packaged
Foods." Public Health and Nutrition (2010): 1-11. Google Scholar. Web. 14 July 2016.
Hill, Catey. "Four Legal Ways Your Food Labels Can Mislead You." Market Watch. N.p., 10 Sept.
2015. Web. 15 July 2016.

Ollberding, Nicholas Jay, Randi L. Wolf, and Idabel Contento. "Food Label Use and Its Relation
to Dietary Intake among US Adults." American Diabetic Association 2010: 1233-237. Print.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Isobel_Contento/publication/45287037_Food_Label_Use_a
nd_Its_Relation_to_Dietary_Intake_among_US_Adults/links/0deec52784fcb13bfd000000.pdf
Raspberry, Catherine N., Beth H. Chaney, Jeff M. Housman, Ranjit a Misra, and Paula J. Miller.
American Journal of Health Education 2010: n. pag. Print.
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ795810.pdf
Wansink, Brian, and Pierre Chandon. "Can "low Fat" Nutrition Labels Lead to Obesity?" Journal
of Marketing Research XLIII (2006): 605-17. Web. 14 July 2016.