Essay - Nutritional Labeling Policy: Beyond the Caloric Numbers Under Policy Regulations...

Nutritional Labeling Policy: Beyond the Caloric Numbers

***** policy regulations stipulated by the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety ***** Inspection Service of the U.S. ***** of Agriculture, food manufacturers are required to provide information on the total calories present in the serving size on ***** product's nutritional label ("The Food Label," 1999, FDA). In theory, ***** providing such information the consumer has more power to make healthy calorie 'budgeting' choices regarding his or her daily intake. Unlike ***** confusing and general labels, such as, f***** example a product's statement that it meets the government's guidelines for being low fat, l*****e, or healthy, ***** about the numerical value of a product's c*****lories do have the advantage of being statistically objective. For example, someone might feel that they could eat unlimited amounts of fat free foods, even though jelly beans are a fat free food and ********** labeled as *****—though ***** beans ***** hardly low in calories or a dieter's friend. A conscientious dieter c*****n look on the back of the bag and see how many jelly beans equal a certain number of calories, and ignore the product puffery.

Yet calorie labeling has not reduced ***** American waistline, ***** America's obesity crisis has c*****tinued ***** grow. "Even if people read labels, they [*****] can't affect food choices that contribute to ***** unless consumers read them and ***** a basic understanding of ***** the *****s...fit into *****ir total day's caloric allotment for maintaining weight" (Cox 2006). It is true that most food labels do have a notation that the average female diet is approximately 2,000 calories and the average male's that ***** 2,400. But ***** average calorie allotment is hardly uniform for all Americans, rather body composition, age, and activity level must also be a consideration as well as gender. Also, to create a c*****lorie-controlled meal plan, all *****s must ***** included, not just some foods, when figuring the individual's daily calorie intake and how it ***** contribute ***** ***** loss or weight gain. In other w*****ds, a consumer cannot bl*****hely be happy that all of the foods eaten ***** the day are less than 300 *****s, if the overall daily calorie total exceeds his or her total expenditure.

*****, no consumer can ***** 'forced' to read calorie labels in a correct fashion. A recent study by the Journal ***** ***** ********** Dietetic Association found "significant numbers of ***** surveyed *****dicated ***** they lacked either the knowledge or inclination to effectively use labels...it appears that a large portion ***** ***** population isn't interested in hav*****g (nutritional information)" (Cox 2007). In a 2004 Food ***** ***** survey, "one-third of all participants were unable to accurately target their daily ***** needs" and this was "based on an expansive definiti***** ***** 1500-2500 kcals" while "31 percent of participants looked at calories but only 5 percent looked at serving *****" (***** 2007). Calorie totals mean little if a person ********** not understand th***** a serving *****