Blumenthal, FDA Challenging Food Industry On ‘Smart Choices’ Labeling

HARTFORD — Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in a warning to consumers, announced an investigation into a potentially misleading national food label program that deems mayonnaise, sugar-laden cereals, and other nutritionally suspect foods “Smart Choices.” And on October 20, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that it will join investigations into false and misleading food labeling.

Mr Blumenthal said he welcomes the FDA’s support of his ongoing investigations into potentially misleading national food label programs.

“Now backed by the FDA, we are posting a warning label to the food industry: set the labels straight,” Mr Blumenthal said. “Big Food has been feeding big lies to consumers about nutritional value. Consumers can no longer stomach deceptive labels that contribute to our nation’s obesity endemic.

“The FDA will be a powerful enforcement partner against deceptive food labeling that prevents consumers from making informed food choices for their families. At a time when health care efforts rightly focus on prevention of obesity and malnutrition, false and misleading labels may derail, destroy, and delay such laudable national goals. Meaningful nutritional information is welcome, but not faux food facts.”

A “Smart Choices” symbol now prominently appears on select food and beverage labels nationwide and claims to help guide consumer food choices.

Foods bearing the Smart Choices symbol include Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise (light and nonlight), Breyers ice cream, and sugary processed cereals such as Froot Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, and Cocoa Puffs.

The only Smart Choices beverages are Lipton products, excluding a vast majority of healthier food and beverage options.

“These so-called Smart Choices seem nutritionally suspect — and the label potentially misleading,” Mr Blumenthal said. “The Smart Choices label adorns sugar-laden cereals appealing to children, but not many healthier breakfast choices. Our investigation asks what objective scientific standards, research or factual evidence justify labeling such products as ‘smart.’

“Our question is: ‘Explain the smart in Smart Choices?’ What is so smart about mayonnaise, Froot Loops, and Cocoa Puffs? Sugar-coated cereals may be nutritionally sounder than some fast food — but hardly smart. Such wholesale health claims may mislead consumers into malnutrition,” the attorney general continued. “Busy moms and dads deserve truth in labeling — particularly when their children’s health is at stake.”

Mr Blumenthal said he has serious concerns about the research and reasoning behind a program that promotes fat-saturated mayonnaise and sugar-studded cereals as nutritional smart choices.

“These concerns — potentially misleading and deceptive labeling of nutritional value — apply to other supposed Smart Choices label products marketed to adults as well as children,” he added.

Dr Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, said, “It is very important that consumers have truthful and nondeceptive nutrition information if they are to make informed choices.”

Mr Blumenthal has requested information from Smart Choices Program, Inc, the organizations which administer the program (NSF International and American Society for Nutrition), and major food manufacturers whose products bear the Smart Choices label, including Kellogg Company, PepsiCo, Inc, and General Mills, Inc.

Mr Blumenthal’s investigation seeks details about the consumer research and selection criteria driving the Smart Choices.