Snack Bar Company Files FDA Petition to Stop Sneaky Advertising on Food Packaging
A new petition by snack bar company Kind and signed by leading health experts urges food and drink companies to be more transparent when highlighting nutrition facts on packaging.
Instead of just highlighting healthy ingredients like fiber or protein on the front of packaging, the petition calls for trans fat and added sugar content to be on the front as well.
If you’ve ever picked up a bottled drink or a packaged food item, you’ve probably noticed a label touting its protein or vitamin content on the front. But what you don’t see is any mention of less-than-healthy ingredients-like added sugar or saturated fat-until you look at the nutrition facts on the back.
And, if you’re like most Americans, chances are pretty good you’re not getting to the fine print: Less than one-third of people report that they frequently read the nutrition label, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Now, there’s a new petition going around that’s aimed at bringing that information to the public’s attention, and changing the practice of highlighting only the good while ignoring the less-than-healthy aspects. Kind, the company best known for its granola bars, partnered with public health experts to file a citizen’s petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so consumers could be better informed about what’s in the foods and drinks they’re buying.
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“Dressing up empty calorie products by emphasizing a singular nutrient, like protein or fiber, versus the overall quality of the food is unfair to consumers,” KIND Founder and CEO Daniel Lubetzky said in a press release. “By bringing greater rigor to the use of nutrient claims, FDA can increase label transparency and help people better identify foods that contribute to a healthy diet, which KIND has long advocated for.”
He went on to tell Fast Company that consumers are ending up getting duped, buying foods they think are healthy and helpful “because of claims like ‘excellent source of vitamins,’ when in fact it might be just a sugar delivery vehicle.”
So instead of just telling you that the breakfast bar you’re about to eat is a good source of fiber, the petition urges the FDA to make it standard for companies to also make it known on the front of the package if there’s a lot of sugar or fat in there, too. The petition is also urging the FDA to disclose the amounts of trans fats and added sugars.
A survey Kind conducted found that more than half of consumers support the idea that the FDA should update its policies to mention unhealthy ingredients on the front of food and drink packaging, according to Fast Company.
“Through these in partnership with public health experts, we’re trying to ensure that people are not duped and that they’re getting the right information and they’re not manipulated,” Lubetzky told Fast Company.
If the FDA does decide to make any changes based off this petition, it won’t be the first time food packaging underwent an overhaul. In fact, the FDA has made a whole host of changes to food labels throughout the past few years. In 2016, they announced that Nutrition Facts labels had to show the latest scientific info, including how a poor diet is related to things like heart disease and obesity. The calorie count was made larger, the serving sizes were updated to be more realistic, and the number of servings per package were bolded, too.
You may have already noticed these changes on some products, but they will be coming to all packaged foods soon. Companies that make $10 million or more each year in sales must do so by January 1, 2020, and those who make less than $10 million each year in sales must do so by January 1, 2021.
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