Food Labeling That Doesn't Mean Much

"Read the labels," we're often advised.  Of course, it's a good idea to check the sugar, salt, and fat content of foods you're thinking of buying, and, if you want to eat only or mostly organic, the USDA organic label is also important to you.  However, food labels can be deceptively reassuring, as a recent article in Consumer Report on Health points out. The article discusses problems with these words and phrases: "natural," "no hormones," "no nitrates," and "no antibiotic residues." Another publication--the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter--gives us this surprising labeling news: the calorie count supplied in labels of packaged nuts are often wrong.  You'll find out why toward the end of this article.

Some labels that Consumer Reports on Health considered "not so helpful" include "natural," "no hormones," "no nitrates," and "no antibiotic residues."

Natural:

One big problem with "natural" is that consumers take it to mean many different things, so many people have said it has no real meaning at all. The USDA says "natural" means that the food does not contain any artificial ingredients, added color, or chemical preservatives and that it is only minimally processed. However, says Consumer Reports on Health, meat could be pumped with broth and water and still bear the "natural" label. The USDA requires that the word "natural" be followed by explanatory information such as "no artificial ingredients" or "minimally processed."  (Note: The photo accompanying this article shows a Campbell's soup can that says "100% natural" with the following explanation in small print: "No artificial ingredients and only minimally processed").   

  The FDA, which monitors about 80% of the food supply in the U.S., doesn't have its own definition of "natural."  The agency says it agrees with the USDA definition, but the FDA doesn't make an effort to enforce this definition, as the USDA does.

The vague term "natural" has been and will probably continue to be the cause of many lawsuits. Here are two examples cited by the website Slate:  a woman sued Pepperidge Farm claiming that its Goldfish Crackers are not really natural, as the package claims.  Why not?  Although the main ingredients--flour, milk and salt-- are natural, the soybean oil is made from genetically modified soybeans. General Mills has also been sued for claiming on labels that Frito-Lays Tostitos and SunChips have "all natural ingredients" when they contain genetically modified grains. 

Food scientist Karin Allen says she assumes that a "natural" product contains no preservatives and will therefore have a shorter shelf life. She also says that although natural doesn't mean organic, a product that has been certified by the USDA as organic must be natural (no added color or chemicals). 

For more information about the meaning of "natural", click here.

No hormones:

On poultry and pork, this label doesn't tell you about an added benefit of the particular products because federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones on ALL pigs and poultry.  However, on beef, the label "no hormones administered" means that this company's cattle was not injected with or fed hormones.  The phrases "hormone free" is not allowed by the USDA. (We presume that's because all animals have hormones in their bodies naturally.)

No nitrates:

This surprised me.  Here's what Consumer Reports on Health says: "This term pops up on cured meat products like bacon, but it doesn't mean that they are free of those preservatives, which are added to help prevent botulism.  The label simply means that there are no synthetic nitrates."  The article goes on to say that natural nitrates using the same curing chemistry can be used despite the label.   What's wrong with nitrates?  "Sodium nitrates and nitrites can form nitrosamines, which have been found to cause cancer in lab animals," the article says. Furthermore, according to the article, studies have shown that nitrites can form compounds that damage lung tissue.  People who eat cured meat at least 14 times a month are more likely (than those who never consume cured products) to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In defense of cured meats and nitrites, the American Meat Institute has put out a fact sheet appropriately entitled "Sodium Nitrite: The Facts."  It explains that sodium nitrite is a salt and anti-oxidant used to cure meats ham, bacon, and hot dogs.  Not only does it protect the public against bacteria that cause botulism, it also helps prevent the growth of a bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause illness.  Cured meat, the fact sheet says, cannot be made without sodium nitrite because that's what gives these products their characteristic taste and color.   Furthermore, without nitrites, the shelf life of these products would be much shorter.  The fact sheet also points out that humans consume much more nitrite from vegetables than they do from cured products.  Most important, the fact sheet says that a government study approved by a panel of experts in 2000 concluded that nitrites are safe at levels used.  According to the article, the cancer link is weak at best, and there are actually health benefits derived from consuming nitrites.  So, do you care if the "no nitrates" message on foods is misleading or not?  I guess it depends upon whom you trust.  (Note:  For more details on nitrates and nitrites, click on the fact sheet link above.) 

For more information about nitrates and nitrites in cured meats on Shelf Life Advice, click here: http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/are-nitrites-deli-meats-health-risk

No antibiotics:

 Consumer Reports on Health advises shoppers to ignore labels that say "antibiotic free," "no antibiotic promotants." and "no antibiotic residues."   The first two are not approved by the USDA and shouldn't be used on products.  The last is meaningless.  Meat with this label could have no antibiotic residue because ALL antibiotics must be discontinued before an animal is slaughtered.  However, the animal might have been given antibiotics at an earlier time. 

If you want to avoid eating meat or poultry that has been given antibiotics, look for one of these labels: "USDA organic" or "no antibiotics added" (or some variation of that wording), "American Grassfed," or "Food Alliance Certified Grassfed."  All these labels indicate that the animal was never given antibiotics.  This might be important to you because there is widespread concern that antibiotics administered to food animals has led to the development of "superbugs," which are resistant to antibiotics.  

Inaccurate calorie counts on nuts--and other foods:

The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter supplied us with this good news for nut-eaters who are watching their weight: A new USDA study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the calorie counts on almonds and other nuts is too high.  It turns out that almonds give you about 25% fewer calories than the nutrition label says.  You'll digest only 130 calories per ounce, not 170.  How could such an error occur?  Well, says the Wellness Letter, a fair amount of the fat, carbohydrates, and protein in almonds goes through the intestines undigested, so the calories in them are not absorbed.  (If only that would happen with the chocolate cake I ate last night!) 

Other types of nuts and even peanuts (which are really legumes, not nuts) are also partially undigested.  Another USDA study found that pistachios have 5% fewer calories than labels typically state.  These studies cast doubt upon the accuracy of calorie counts on nut labels in general.

Now, you may be wondering if you trust the calorie counts on any packaged foods.  The same issue of the Wellness Letter says that it's best to consider calorie counts on packages merely estimates.  "The FDA allows up to a 20 percent margin of error--which means a food that lists 100 calories could really have anywhere from 80 to 120 calories."  When companies make errors in calorie counts, unlike the nutty results described above, the number printed on the package is usually lower than it should be. 

Source(s):

Consumer Reports on Health, December 2012.

meatami.com  "AMI Fact Sheet: Sodium Nitrite: The Facts"

http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/44170

University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter December 2012.

"Last Word: A nutty thing about almonds" and "Ask the Experts"

Karin E. Allen, Ph.D., Utah State University, Dept. of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

slate.com "Against Nature: Why he government doesn't--and shouldn't--regulate which foods are 'natural'" by Daniel Engber

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/11/_natural_on_food_labels_why_the_fda_doesn_t_and_shouldn_t_regulate_the_term.html