Consumer Savvy-Making Good Choices Chapter 8

1. Consumer Savvy-Making Good ChoicesChapter 8 Professor Steven Dion – Salem State College Sport, Fitness & Leisure Studies Dept.

2. FTC ( Federal Trade Commission) • Regulates advertising claims made by manufacturers of food, health, and fitness products and services. • Pursues legal action against manufacturers who advertise deceptive ads or make unsubstantiated claims. Dion

3. FTC • Example: • Jan 22, 1997 • FTC made allegations that Pizzaria Uno was making false and misleading advertisements about their thin crust pizza being “Low Fat”. Pizzaria Uno settled by agreeing not to misrepresent the amount of any nutrition in their food products containing baked crust. Dion

4. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) • Regulates what additives can be added to food, potential hazards (with additives, pesticide residue etc.), what is stated on food labels, the safety of cosmetics, medicines, medical devices, feed and drugs for pets and farm animals. Dion

5. CFSAN (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) • One of six major FDA Agencies. • It’s two main goals are: • That the food supply remains safe nutritious, and wholesome. • That labels on foods and cosmetics maintain a high level of accuracy. Dion

6. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act • Passed by Congress is 1994. • Reduces FDA control over vitamin, mineral, enzymes, hormones, botanical and herbal supplements (these substances were now classified as food). • Only manufactures of drugs must proved research to prove the effectiveness and safety of the product. This exempts makers of dietary supplements from the research requirement. Dion

7. The Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act • Supplement manufacturers claims about a supplement are only limited to not being able to say the product can prevent, treat or cure a disease. • Now the FDA must prove a product unsafe before removing it from the market. • The purchases of dietary supplements in the U.S. rose from 8 billion in 1994 to 12 billion in 1997. • The problem the FDA faced was that many supplements taken in excess mimic the harmful effects of illegal chemicals and drugs. Dion

8. As a Result: • The FDA developed labeling requirements for products containing vitamins, minerals, herbs or amino acids to supplement diets. • The product must be labeled as a dietary supplement Dion

9. As a Result: • A “Supplement Facts” panel must be provided containing: • Serving size. • Information on 14 nutrients when present at significant levels i.e. sodium, iron, vitamin A and C. • Any added vitamins and minerals, or any that are part of a nutritional claim, must be added. • Dietary ingredients that have no established Reference Daily Intake (RDI). • Any blended ingredients and the amount. • The part of the plant used in any botanical ingredients Dion

10. As a Result: • The term “High Potency” can only be used if the product contains 100% or more of the RDI for that vitamin or mineral. The term can only be used for multi ingredient products if 2/3rds of the nutrients levels are more then 100% of the RDI. • The term Antioxidant can only be used with claims for “good source” and “high”, if evidence shows the nutrient inactivates free radicals or prevents radical-initiated chemical reactions. Dion

11. USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) • Serves as a link between basic science and consumers. • Its goal is to provide people with access to more nutritious diets, improving American children’s eating habits, and helping farmers distribute food purchased under farmer assistance authorities. • Regulates food labels for poultry and meat. • Works with the Board of Health and Human Services on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dion

12. The New Food Label • Developed by FDA and Food Safety and Inspection Service. • Helps consumers choose healthier diets. • Acts as an incentive for food companies to improve nutritional quality. Dion

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15. Nutrition Labeling and Education Act • It requires manufactures to adhere to regulations about what can and cannot go on food labels. This reform includes: • Defining “light”, “low fat”, and “High Fiber.” • Declaring total juice percentage in juice drinks. • Substantiating claims about the relationships between foods/nutrients and health related conditions. Dion

16. Nutritional Panel • Now called “Nutrition Facts”, it was originally called “Nutrition Information Per Serving”. • Specific type size, style, spacing and contrast are required to make the label easier to read. Dion

17. Serving Sizes • Must represent actual quantities people can eat at one time. • Must be expressed in metric measures as well as common household measurements (i.e. cup, slice). Dion

18. Optional Components • Claims made about optional components, or for foods enriched with them, the corresponding information becomes mandatory. • Thiamin and Riboflavin are no longer required because deficiencies are no longer considered a public health significance. Dion

19. Nutritional Panel Format • Nutrient content per serving must be declared as percentages of Daily Values. • Amount of Micronutrients must be indicated to the immediate right of each nutrient name. • A column labeled “ % Daily Value” must appear to prevent consumer confusion. • Example: • 140mg of sodium sounds high but it only represents 6% of our Daily Value. Dion

20. Daily Reference Value (DRV) • Comprised of 2 sets of standards, DRV and Reference Daily Intake (RDI), but only RDV appears on the label. • A 2000 calorie diets serves as the reference number of calories to determine the DRV for energy producing nutrients. Dion

21. Fat- 30% Sat. Fat- 10% Carbs- 60% Protein- 10% (for people 5 and older) Fiber- 11.5g per 1000 calories DRV for Fat and Sodium Total Fat less than 65g Sat Fat less than 20 g Cholesterol less than300mg Sodium less than 2400mg DRV For Energy-Producing Nutrients Dion

22. Nutrient Context Descriptions • FREE- Amount of component (fat, calories, etc.) must be zero or inconsequential. • LOW- Foods that can be eaten frequently without exceeding dietary guidelines for at least one of the following: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories. • LIGHT- The nutritionally altered product must have 1/3 fewer calories or ½ the fat of the reference food. It can also be used to describe properties like texture and color. Dion

23. Nutrient Context Descriptions • PERCENT FAT FREE- The product must be low fat or fat free and that claim must reflect the amount present in 100g of food. • IMPLIED TERMS- These terms are prohibited. For example a products cannot claim to be a good source of something unless the product contains enough of that ingredient to be labeled a “good source”. • MEALS AND MAIN DISHES- The claim that a meal or main dish is “FREE” of a nutrient means the meal or dish must meet the same requirements met by individual foods. Dion

24. Nutrient Context Descriptions • HEALTHY- A “healthy” food must be low in fat and saturated fat and have very little amounts of sodium and cholesterol. A single food item must provide 10% or more of one or more of the following: vitamin A or C, iron, calcium protein, or fiber. If it is a meal like food (frozen dinners, etc) it must provide 10% of two or three of the following: vitamin A or C, iron, calcium protein, or fiber. Dion