Never mind the veggie aisle, just pack your grocery cart full of picks from the Smart Choices Program. Why buy fresh spinach when Green Giant Canned Chopped Spinach is considered the “Smart Choice?” While you’re at it, you can add Oscar Mayer 98% Fat Free Bologna, Wesson Corn Oil, Kid Cuisine Carnival Corndogs and Lucky Charms to your cart – after all, each one of them will come emblazoned with a the Smart Choices green check mark and seal of approval.
The Smart Choices Program ostensibly provides nutritional information to help consumers make 
informed, beneficial food choices. Not such a bad idea, eh? After all, there needs to be greater accountability in our food system and consumers need to be fully informed so that they may make healthier choices for themselves and for their families. With “front of the box” labeling, consumers don’t even have to look at the ingredient label or nutrition facts to determine if these smart choices are, indeed, smart.
Smart Choices Program: Backed By Big Industry
Unfortunately for consumers, the Smart Choices not only falls miserably short in its stated goals and, upon further investigation, is little more than a shill for the giants of the food industry. The Smart Choices Program is underwritten by the some the largest food industry giants in the United States. Moreover, representatives of Kellogg’s, General Mills, Kraft Foods and Unilever sit on the program’s board of directors. Honestly now, how else could Apple Jacks, Cocoa Puffs and Fudgsicles be considered health foods?
Of course, you won’t see a box of strawberries or lentils from the grocery store’s bulk bin make the grade. Why aren’t these wholesome foods considered “smart choices?” Well, they don’t earn the smart choices label precisely because they’re not processed and manufactured by food industry giants; rather, they’re simply grown, harvested and transported. You see, companies like Tyson, Kraft Foods, Conagra and Unilever pay $100,000 a year to enroll their processed foods in the program – something that is out of reach of those strawberry and lentil farmers. Indeed, the program specifically caters to the processed food industry in effort to market these foods as wholesome and healthy.
More Information about Smart Choices Program
Smart Choices Program: Faulty Nutritional Criteria
While the Smart Choices Program is based on government-approved nutritional guidelines (what does this tell you about government-approved nutritional guidelines, eh?), they still come up short. Indeed,while the government ostensibly supports greater inclusion of whole grain, fruits and vegetables into the diet of its people, the Smart Choices Program allows products made from refined grain to bear their label provided they have “added nutrients.” That is, if they’re fortified. Keep in mind that fortification of refined flours is mandated by the Federal Government because refined cereal products are otherwise devoid of essential micronutrients.
According to the Smart Choice’s Program Guidelines, Breakfast Cereals can contain up to 12 grams of added sugar per serving and dairy products can contain up to 12 grams of added sugar per cup. That’s three teaspoons of added, nutritionally devoid sugar. Moreover, the program still allows the inclusion of up to a ½ gram of artificial trans-fatty acids per serving since these products can be legally labeled as 0 gm trans fats under the Nutrition Facts.
The FDA is Not Amused
In August of this year, the FDA wrote a letter to the general manager of the Smart Choices Program – Sarah Krol – warning her that the agency would be “concerned” if any front of the package labeling system like Smart Choices were to encourage consumers to choose highly processed foods. Indeed, with responsibility over labeling, it’s the FDA’s duty to guard the American consumer against misleading or deceptive claims.
The FDA writes:
In the past five years, competing FOP [NK: Front of the Package] symbols on food labels have proliferated. Consumer research suggests that these competing symbols, which are based on different nutrient criteria, are likely to confuse consumers. In this context, we recognize the potential value of a more standardized approach for FOP labeling. However, since products bearing the Smart Choices symbol are just beginning to appear in the market, we will need to monitor and evaluate the products as they appear and their effect on consumers’ food choices and perceptions. FDA and FSIS would be concerned if any FOP labeling systems used criteria that were not stringent enough to protect consumers against misleading claims; were inconsistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; or had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods and refined grains instead of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
View the full letter sent to the Smart Choices Program here.
Tell the FDA What You Think of Smart Choices
The FDA is currently monitoring and evaluating consumer reaction to the Smart Choices program, so now it’s time for you to act. If you think that Fruit Loops and Fat Free Breyers Ice Cream doesn’t necessarily make for a “Smart Choice,” tell the FDA.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
This is outrageous, but I guess not surprising. Thanks for being so thorough in your presentation of it. I will help spread the word.
I know! I couldn’t believe the crap allowed under this label! It is SO deceptive. I really hope we can get the word out. It really feels as though the food industry is grasping at straws here.
- Jenny
At 41% refined sugar by weight, Froot Loops may be a smart choice compared to, say, sipping high-fructose corn syrup through a straw or pounding nails into your head.
Wow! How deceptive and totally backwards! When I think of ridiculously unhealthy choices at the supermarket, lucky charms and fat free, packaged, processed, fat-free oscar mayer bologna come to mind! It’s like the “sweet surprise” HFCS commercials, most people dont really buy into it. I cant imagine they would buy into this? I’ll do what I can to spread the word!
ren, thank you for making me laugh outloud!
smart choices,what a joke!
Wow, this is yet another insane thing going on with the food companies. I would love to hear you weigh in on a discussion happening on my blog, and The Foodie Blogroll about food policy and obesity in the US. This is a topic right up your alley.
http://www.leftoverqueen.com/2009/09/08/stuffed-an-insider%E2%80%99s-look-at-who%E2%80%99s-really-making-america-fat-giveaway
After developing a severe allergy to soy, reading labels are crucial for me. Over 60% of the food on the grocery store shevles have some form of soy…you have to know what to look for. I continue to read the labels of products from trusted manufacturers because they can change the ingredients at any time.
Folks beware…the big agri-business are slowly killing us with their cheap processed foods!
Dianne Gregg
Author, The HIdden Dangers of Soy
http://www.hiddensoy.com
Okay,
Here is my concern.
There is enough nutrition education and information in the world, at the library, on the web etc. Why should consumers depend on a label to tell them what a “smart choice” is? Any idiot who has the brain cells to know where a grocery store is, is going to know that “Fruit Loops” are not a “smart choice” for their family. I’ve never even heard of this system.
Furthermore, why is it the governments job to “protect” consumers. I love that the FDA is calling the program on its crap, but really people…this falls under the lines of smoking bans in bars, and helmet laws. It’s not the government’s job to parent us as adults…that’s the beauty of adulthood in the first place independence! And part of adulthood is having information and making responsible decisions with that information; what we eat, whether or not we wear a helmet/seat belt, the same goes for the decisions we make for our children.
If the government deems that I’m not making “good” decisions with my child’s diet are they going to arrest me? Take away my kid? Fine me? Where’s the line? When do we grow up? Not only that, but programs like “smart choice” are another idiotic way to waste money.
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Piccollo… let me explain a few things to you. They’re not quite on topic here, but since you bring them up and they are pet peeves of mine, I’m gonna explain anyway.
1. Our government’s supposed to protect us from foreign countries invading us, and on a state and local level it’s supposed to protect us from crime. (OK, federal too if you count the FBI.) Well, misleading someone into damaging their health is just as bad as attacking their country–it has pretty much the same end result, if not as visible or jarring. And misleading someone into hurting themselves is a crime most of the time. Why not in this instance too?
I’m glad the FDA exists; my only beef is it doesn’t do its job properly. If it didn’t exist the food situation would be a lot worse than it is now.
2. Smoking bans: excuse me, but some of the same people complaining about this are people who complain about illicit drug users. So why should I be forced to use a drug I do NOT want to use just so I can go out in public? That’s exactly what happens if some inconsiderate twerp is allowed to smoke around me in a public place. I don’t WANT to breathe tobacco smoke. Without a public smoking ban, if I want to avoid tobacco, I must stay home. You wouldn’t like it if you wanted to avoid marijuana and someone smoked it right next to you. Quit complaining that you’re being forced to be considerate of others. The real problem is that you had to be forced at all. Next to suburban SUV drivers who speed in traffic, cigarette smokers have got to be some of the rudest people I know. And I’m rude to say so, but I am SO tired of the complaining. You chose to adopt the habit, you deal with it. I should not have to deal with it along with you.
3. Helmet laws: Let’s see, health care reform is bad because fat people might be covered by government health care, and fat people get fat on purpose because they’re lazy, gluttonous and stupid (I am being ironic here, as I am also fat and about fed up, ha ha, with all this mythology being bandied about), so good Americans should not want to have to pay for their care with tax dollars. It’s a waste of money. Well, let’s see. Same logic applies to motorcyclists who don’t wear helmets. You know you’re at greater risk of head injury if you don’t. You choose to go without it anyway, then you get in a wreck, then you bust your head and somehow survive, and then you exceed the lifetime maximum on your health insurance–and the public has to pick up the rest of the tab, not to mention the higher premiums you cost other policyholders who use your insurance carrier. What’s wrong with this picture?
GAH. I really wish *someone* in this country would adopt a logically consistent political worldview. The liberals don’t, the conservatives don’t, and even the libertarians fall short. Maddening.
————
Getting back to topic, is this the same Smart Choices program I’ve seen featured on some snack vending machines? If so, I’ve seen that green checkmark on Spree candy! In a children’s hospital, no less! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Forgive me if I’ve mentioned this before but I think there’s more than one blog I’ve hit in the past couple of weeks that’s discussed this topic.
And this is what happens when people get obsessed with calories and fat. Really, these labeling programs are only doing what the public wants them to do, and the public doesn’t care about vitamins and minerals–with the possible exception of calcium, and I wonder how long it will take for the “latest” findings (repeated from ideas expressed in the 1920s by Dr. Price!) indicating that saturated fat is needed in the diet for proper assimilation of calcium. My guess is it’ll never really get out there and they will keep putting women on Fosamax for osteopenia. Sheesh.
Dana -
Thanks for your thoughtful comments on this post, Dana. You said it more eloquently than I could have dreamed. You rock!
- Jenny
Jenny – God… it drives me nuts. I used to get into late-night IM discussions with a former best friend of mine in which we’d get onto the subject of weight loss. I’d share with her some of the things I’d read about nutrition and how so many people are getting it wrong and how that might be contributing to obesity and heart disease. In one of the last conversations we had before we blew up over something else entirely and I stopped speaking to her, she ribbed me about my interest in nutrition and said she didn’t see the point in worrying about “all that science” and that as far as she was concerned all she had to do was eat less and move more. Funny, she’s still overweight (not obese, just above normal BMI). I said, “Eat less of what? Doritos?” I swear, most people think we are living machines and that once we’ve been born and grown up and developed to maturity, that’s it and the inputs no longer matter because we’re a done deal. And that idea couldn’t be more wrong. Organisms are constantly rebuilding and renewing themselves right up til they die and if you intake the wrong nutrients or not enough of the right ones, you short yourself and eventually it costs you dearly. I found that out the hard way. Obesity is just a symptom, like a runny nose for a cold. Those who get fat in response to bad nutrition are actually the lucky ones–the people who stay slender think they’re off the hook when actually they may be incubating chronic disease right this second. The Eades, who wrote Protein Power, point out in their new book that even slender people can be harboring too much visceral fat, the type of excess fat that IS associated with chronic disease. I’ve also read a Men’s Health article about slender people who become type 2 diabetic. Scary stuff.
Thanks for such a great informative website!!
It is up to individuals to support your local farmers, produce stands, and neighboorhood markets. The large manufactures are taking advantage of busy lifestyles and playing with different markets to grab consumers attention. Research and developement is not being done to improve food but rather to find various additives and preservatives that fit a particular market.
If these products are so great for us why are there more and more defiencies in our diet? The labels suggest we are getting all our RDA (recommend daily allowance)in our boxed foods. We are not eating nutrient dense food rather a chemically combined scientific formula to obtain a certain nutritional profile.
Instead what is happening is more and more people are taking high blood pressure medications, cholesterol medications, and various suppliments.
You know your body better than anyone!! It is time for people to start taking control of their diets through natural foods.
If it comes in a box or a container do not eat it for a month. Chart your energy levels as well as what you eat. You will start to see how your body reacts to various foods.
Use the website to introduce various probiotics into your diet starting with the yogurts,or kiefer products. This will assist you in naturally regulating your system.
DO NOT allow large manufactures to dictate your diet. You know who cuts your hair. You know who maintains your car. You know who mows your lawn.
Do you know who provides you with your food?
Mike -
Excelent comment! I couldn’t agree more with you about the need to eat nutrient dense foods rather than the chemically combined formula that is so heavily pushed on us from the pharmaceutical companies, the food industry and the agencies that derive so much of their funding from these sources. It’s NUTS to think that people are being told to eat this crap to make them well and then still benignly accepting statins, beta blockers and other pharmies.
Take Care -
Jenny