The Smart Choices Grocery Program, the very program that DietsInReview panned last month, has been voluntarily discontinued. Officials with Smart Choices said that the group will “postpone” active operations and not encourage wider use of the logo while the FDA investigates labeling issues, reported MSNBC over the weekend.
The FDA cited the use of multiple nutritional markers on foods, from check marks to stars, icons and even numerical ratings, that can overwhelm the consumer and in reality label foods healthier than they really might be. Foods could contain as much as 50% sugar and still receive the green check mark if they had extra fiber or were high in one of twenty nutrients. In my book, there’s not one food that is 50% sugar that I’d label as “healthy.”
The FDA is currently creating nutritional standards that would have to be met before manufacturers could list any type of healthy label on their packages, doing away with multiple different options. Having one set of standards would make it much easier to select the best choices at the grocery store and use to create the healthiest diet possible.
I’m really interested in seeing this option come to fruition – it would certainly simplify shopping for many who are pressed for time when it comes to grocery shopping and label reading.
Score a victory for truth, honesty and healthy eating!
See the Smart Choices program in action! Watch my video comparing different peanut butters with and without the Smart Choices green checkmark, and see which one is really better for your family!