Food industry's not so "Smart Choices"

October 27, 4:33 PMObesity ExaminerRenee Melton

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Is it a good idea to let food companies set their own standards for good choices?

Flickr: Mike Licht

Parents and nutrition experts alike have long complained about the targeting kids with food advertisements. Cartoon characters, internet games, mail order prizes and contests…all meant to entice young consumers. A recent report  out of Yale University exposes the truth in this advertising and some interesting facts about nutrition (or lack of) in children’s cereals.

Not surprisingly it was found the least nutritious cereals were the one’s most heavily marketed to children. Cereals with little to offer nutritionally miraculously seem to pass the food industry created guidelines for “better-for-you” foods as part of the “Smart Choices” program. Better than WHAT?!? Well, the designation is meant to identify a food that is a “better choice” than some of the other products available. It’s important to understand that “better” does not necessarily mean “healthy”. Unfortunately this was an assumption many consumers made. Apparently this was a way to convince the parents to purchase what their children were pleading for.

In the Yale report, 11 cereals displaying the “better-for-you” label are so nutritionally poor that they would not fit the required nutrition guidelines for WIC (USDA’s Women, Infants and Children program). Nor would they be allowed to advertise on TV to children in the UK. This doesn’t do much to instill consumer trust in the cereal industry.

We’ve all witnessed, or experienced, a cereal isle meltdown when a parent refuses to buy an unhealthy cereal. Sometimes the child hasn’t even tasted this cereal… it’s all in the power of advertising. Worried your kids won’t eat the healthier alternative? The good news from the YALE report is that children do like the less sugary cereals when they are provided.

The FDA has taken notice of the food industry’s promotion of products with less than stellar nutrition profiles…all while using the criteria that THEY created. FDA concerns for how the labeling might be misleading consumers has halted the program while an investigation is conducted. Companies using false or misleading labeling can be expected to have actions enforced against them.

In the meantime, it’s best to check the nutrition facts label before deciding whether a cereal (or any product) is a good choice for your family. Wondering how the cereals in your cupboard really measure up? Check out the Cereal F.A.C.T.S. website to get scores and nutrition facts on popular cereals.