Comments on: Danish groups oppose European food ranking system

By: The Ethicurean: Chew the right thing. » Blog Archive » Digest - Features & Blogs: Convention frenzy, local meat gets scrapped, and Michelle’s big announcement

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:41:52 +0000

[...] No appetite for food-rating system: Marion Nestle reports on a Danish movement fighting a food-processor-backed rating system in the European Union. (Food Politics) [...]

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:45:05 +0000

Most foods in the US take advantage of the fortification option. That’s why white flour is such a source of folic acid, and apparently the only source. (Spinach is a much better source.) I also noticed that, just like the US, sugar was separated from other high-GI carbohydrates. AN ORANGE IS HEALTHIER THAN WHITE FLOUR!

Nutritionally there is another concern: Macronutrient portions are arbitrary. The classic example is the US minimum intake of carbohydrates as 60% of total calories. The politics behind carbs as 60% of total calories could fill a book, with the usual villains: Cereal magnates, sugar growers, soft drink companies, and the rest of the junk food. All you need to know? High-carbohydrate diets can lead to a cluster of symptoms known as Syndrome X. At the extreme, you’ve got groups like the Pima; due to the Western diet, more than half their adult population has type 2 diabetes.

By: Arlene Johns

Arlene Johns — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:33:49 +0000

The Danes make a good point about the GDA, and the proposed EU label does start to look much like the current system employed in the US. Although, I have to say the old system using 100gram portions and also including kilojoules was really confusing. Is it really beneficial to put other nutrients on the label? More information usually makes it more confusing – too many numbers. Not to mention that there are really only a few micronutrients that the average public is aware of. In the future maybe we can have interactive computer screens where you scan the item and can pull up all the nutrition information with graphics to help explain.

By: FoodBubbles

FoodBubbles — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Hmm…why the GDA system does not have vitamins and minerals as a part of its labeling? I would think that would definitely help differentiate between the healthy and unhealthy goods, which is one of “Stop GDA” group’s concerns. Of course, there are foods that supplement their goods with a ton of vitamins…

One-sided as it was, I really enjoyed reading their pamphlet. It made me wonder how differently I eat just because of the US’s labeling system.