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!

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Smart Choices Grocery Program Discontinued

Watch this video, and then continue reading, to learn more.

FoodScanner Demo from Andy Smith on Vimeo.

Tracking and counting calories has never been easier, as Daily Burn’s Food Scanner app currently has 200,000 foods in its database. This is ideal because you’re not just limited to scanning packaged, processed foods, you can also log fresh, whole foods – like fruits, vegetables, or meat. While you can’t scan these items without a UPC, you can access their nutrition information.

Daily Burn Food Scanner features include:

• Scan barcode or type in food name
• Available for all iPhone models
• View entire nutrition labels
• Add new foods by uploading photos and UPC codes
• Tracks daily calorie consumption

Daily Burn, formerly known as Gyminee, also has a robust site where you can sync your app food journal as well as monitor exercise and fitness activities, monitor your weight loss to goal, find weight loss buddies, and more!

Try the Food Scanner for the iPhone now!

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Daily Burn’s Food Scanner iPhone App is an Essential Food Journal Tool

For products to use the USDA labeling it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients that have not had any chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified organisms used.

For products to use this ECOCERT logo all ingredients must be 100% of natural origin.


For products to use the NPA Certified logo the ingredients must be 95% natural or from natural sources that are renewable. Packaging must be from recycled materials and no animal testing.


In a world where we are bombarded with logos and messaging to influence our purchase behavior, pay attention to the three logos above to help ensure you are buying products that are truly good for our environment and good for you as well.

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Logos That Really Mean “Green” or Organic Foods

The basic premise couldn’t be more simple. Qualifying foods are stamped with a green check mark, which is designed to help a shopper make the healthiest choice within a particular category. (All fresh fruits and vegetables are automatically included – but they don’t get a green check mark because they are grown on a farm and not represented by a company.) If you are buying peanut butter, the green check mark container might contain the best choice in terms of health.

Or it might not. That’s the trouble with program. I think that the concept is great. It’s designed to help shoppers alleviate some of the angst that many feel standing in the grocery aisle surrounded by multiple products. How do you decide which to buy? It’s confusing to pick the healthiest food and if it could be done successfully, I’d be one of the most fiercest advocates you’d ever meet.

The program is designed to help those with limited shopping opportunities – maybe the elderly or poor without transportation – who are unable to shop in big supermarkets or drive long distances to multiple stores. With a limited selection, a shopper could still feel confident that they’d made a good choice. If executed correctly, it could conceivably speed up your shopping process – no more pondering labels – just pick the green check product and go!

My problem is that the food that is the healthiest choice does not always receive the green check. Case in point: Peanut butter. Skippy Creamy has received the green “Smart Choices” label. It’s understandable – peanut butter is a great food, high in protein and yummy. This particular version of Skippy is not one that I’d buy, as it contains hydrogenated oils. If I was shopping for Skippy, I’d buy the Natural Skippy, because it is simply peanuts and salt with no hydrogenated oils. But Skippy Natural doesn’t have a green check.

Don’t get me wrong – I think that the program is a great first step. I’m concerned that it doesn’t go far enough, though. A food can be granted the label if it shows that it is superior in one aspect – say, Lucky Charms, which has a high level of calcium – but it doesn’t take into account the other ingredients that may make that food a poor choice – Lucky Charms also has a high amount of sugar.

I’m skeptical of the program, but hopeful that some of the kinks can be worked out so as to benefit the public.

I was not paid to attend the launch, but my travel expenses were paid. I was under no obligation to write a positive review of the program or the trip, or even to write a review at all.

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Smart Choices Program May Not be Overly Smart for Shoppers

Developed by two doctors, Drs. Adam Drewnowski and Victor Fulgoni, the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index is a validated, objective, and consumer-driven guide that ranks foods according to how nutrient-rich they are. Using the USDA Healthy Eating Index as a base, this new NRF Index takes into account all of the nutrients a given food contains, not just the ones to avoid or limit, like fat, sodium or sugar grams.

This kind of ranking system, which is also referred to as nutrition profiling, was discussed in the recent issue of the Journal of Nutrition and is being lauded as an empowering tool that allows consumers to choose the most nutrient-dense foods. Since numerous diseases and weight-related conditions are due to eating too much or not getting enough of the proper nutrients, the NRF has the power to lead consumers to a healthier diet and lifestyle when it is used appropriately.

The Index is still being organized into a consumer-friendly format so that anyone can use it and apply it to their eating choices. The NRF calculation analyzes the sum of nine nutrients to consume, including protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, fiber, potassium and vitamins A, C and E and then subtracts them from the sum of three nutrients to restrict like saturated fats, sodium and added sugars. What results is an NRF number that reflects how nutrient-rich a particular food is.

It will be interesting to see how the NRF Index will translate into packaging labels and how or rather if, this ranking system will pass through the regulatory standards that will allow it be printed on food labels.

See other examples of these new nutritional food ranking systems.

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Nutrient Rich Foods Index Ranks Nutritional Quality of Food

The Smart Choices Program was motivated by the need for a single, trusted and reliable front-of-pack nutrition labeling program that U.S. food manufacturers and retailers could voluntarily adopt to help guide people in making food and beverage choices that fit within their daily calorie needs.

It’s great that there’s a chance all these different front of package labels will go away in place of a uniform label (designed by the food industry’s agreed upon health standards). But I have to ask the question: do we really need a big effort to help people choose processed foods? Shouldn’t nutrition experts tell people to limit packaged foods and eat more whole foods?  YOU BET!

But, I’m more of a realist than an idealist. I can also tell when someone doesn’t want to “give up” their chips, but is willing to cut down on portions or choose the baked version if it is better for them. So I think this labeling system can be useful with a weight management program if you take the right approach. I have some tips to offer that will help. Don’t forget, you are in control. You are smart and can make the right choices for you and your family.

1. Don’t let the label give the product a health halo – processed food is processed food (yes, minimally processed is better). If it needs a label to rate it, you know it’s probably not the healthiest choice. So use it as a way of identifying a better choice among your bags of chips, pretzels, and the other salty convenience foods. You still have to do the work of portion control and making it a “sometimes” food. These aren’t foods you devour in front of the T.V.
2. Don’t let the label make you buy more – just because you see a new product with a label, doesn’t mean you need to add it to your grocery bill. It’s one thing to try something new that replaces another packaged food you used to buy, but be careful that you don’t overdo it on the convenient packaged foods. Sliced veggies and hummus is a convenient and healthy choice that can be a great side to lunch sandwiches.
3. Fill your cart with mostly fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables – before cruising the packaged foods with the new Smart Choices Label, make sure you give priority to fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, your favorite lean protein (canned beans, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy), and whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, wheat pasta, tortillas, and other wheat bread products).

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Will the New Smart Choices Label Help You Lose Weight?

Watch my video on sugar in foods to help set the record straight on what you should look for.

Here are common sugars you may see on the ingredients list:

• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
• Dehydrated cane juice
• Dextrin
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Glucose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Lactose
• Maltodextrin
• Malt syrup
• Maltose
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Rice Syrup
• Saccharose
• Sorghum or sorghum syrup
• Sucrose
• Syrup
• Treacle
• Turbinado Sugar
• Xylose

There is no recommended minimum amount of added sugars you should have each day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans lumps added sugar, solid (saturated) fat, and alcohol into a small “discretionary calories” budget, which is roughly 250 calories worth a day. That’s not even enough to cover one of the standard 20-ounce soda or sweetened iced tea beverages that are sold today.

You can track your added sugars on MyPyramid and see how quickly your usual food choices rack up the added sugar. Don’t just swap out foods with added sugar to their artificially sweetened cousins without asking yourself, “am I choosing these snack foods in place of fresh fruits, vegetables, skim milk, or unflavored yogurt?”

Tips for keeping sugars balanced in your eating plan:

• Don’t worry about sugars in fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-fat / fat-free unflavored milk. These are naturally occurring.
• Read labels for dry cereals, flavored instant oatmeal, and ice cream products to try to find ones with as little added sugars as possible. Instead, add your own fresh fruit!
• Avoid sweetened beverages (soda, tea, juices, flavored water, sports drinks, flavored coffee drinks, and mixed alcoholic drinks) as much as possible.

Be smart about sugars. If you like a sweet salad dressing to dip your veggies in or a little maple syrup on your oatmeal, don’t sweat it. You’re adding a touch of sweetness to healthy foods. That’s different than hitting the vending machine for a candy bar and soda at 3p.m.

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Setting Sugar Straight: What Matters Most for Weight Management

We all know that whatever is in a hot dog is questionable, but do you think Joey Chestnut, of the U.S., and Takeu Kobayashi, of Japan, have ever stopped to read the food label on their pile of hot dogs? We think not. The folks at CalorieLab did the math and calculated exactly what the nutritional aftermath looks like when you eat 66 hot dogs on 66 buns (the total consumed by Chestnut in the 2007 event).

That tallies up to 6,600 grams of hot dogs and buns, 14.5 pounds, eaten in a regulation time of 10 minutes! After reading this, we dare you to keep down your hot dogs.

• 19,600 Calories (about 10 days’ worth of calories)
• 1,280g Fat (that’s 2.82 pounds)
• 490g Saturated Fat (1.08 pounds of the unhealthy fat)
• 43,410mg Sodium (1.53 oz, or 1,800 times the RDA)

There’s no telling what kind of health repercussions these two hot dog connoisseurs face afterward. Tummy aches are sure to ensue, and hopefully a lot of fruits and vegetables!

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Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Yields Frightening Nutrition Facts

SMART CHOICES

Smart Choices labels are being printed on the front of the package for only foods that nutritionally qualify. You’ll see the green check mark, servings per package and total calories per serving. The “rating” is defined by a co-op of food producers, retailers and nutritional organizations like the American Heart Association. Food producers have to pay to participate, so you’re likely not to see smaller companies with the label. Brands expected to participate include Coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, and Unilever. Starting in mid-2009, consumers will be able to ascertain at a quick glance which foods are low in calories, and which foods are not.

NUVAL

NuVal is working closely with grocers, so far Price Chopper and Hy-Vee, to implement their Nutritional Scoring System next to the price tags on shelves. David Katz, M.D. with the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center created the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (see our ONQI video), which assigns an index number (1 being least healthy and 100 be most healthy) to more than 45,000 different food products, based on an algorithm that calculates 30 nutritional factors, like fat, sugar, protein and vitamins. Broccoli and strawberries index at 100, whole milk and pasta index at 50, and soda and hot dogs index at less than 5. Some 15 grocers are expected to join the NuVal system as it is introduced in early 2009.

GUIDING STARS

More localized than its label competitors, Guiding Stars was created by Hannaford, CT, and is currently being used in 1,500 Food Lion, Bloom and Sweetbay grocers (some as far back as 2006). Hannaford worked closely with researchers at major universities like Harvard and Dartmouth to create the simple star guide to help consumers identfy foods that are “good” with one star, “better” with two stars and “best” with three stars. They use a food’s nutrient density (nutrition per 100 calories) to award the one, two, or three stars to more than 25,000 food items, and say that the label indicates a food with more vitamins, minerals, fiber and whole grains, and less fat, sodium, sugar and cholesterol. You’ll find the label on shelves next to pricing.

NUTRITION IQ

The Nutrition IQ labeling system was created by The Joslin Clinic, a partner of Harvard Medical School, and will be implemented with SuperValu grocers late 2009. This chain’s 1,300 stores include Albertson’s, Jewel-Osco and Shaw’s. You’ll spot these color-coded labels on the shelf, identifying the best two nutritional benefits, based on quality of whole grains, fiber, calcium, protein, sodium, saturated fat and calories. Unlike the other labeling systems, it is not an indicator of overall nutrition, but valuable to those seeking to include or exclude certain things from their diet.

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Making Sense of the New Healthy Food Labels

This logo will appear on the front of the products’ packaging and will include the Smart Choices logo, a check mark, the calories per serving and number of servings in the package. The Smart Choices Program logo signifies foods that limit unhealthy ingredients and feature healthy ones.

A few participants in this program are expected to include Coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Wal-Mart.

Basically, this is an attempt by larger food and beverage companies to help our nation’s weight problem. The companies are hoping these logos will help educate the public and make them more aware of what they are consuming and choose products that are more nutritious. Unlike companies’ individual attempt to mark products as healthier choices, this program will implement the same uniform standard and logo, which will help to minimize confusion and have consumers looking for the same logo on various products.

In order to meet this program’s criteria, a product cannot exceed standards for specific “nutrients to limit,” like total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium. For most categories, the products must also provide nutrients or food groups that are recommended by nutritionists for good health (i.e. calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin A, C and E).

Although this won’t cure the obesity epidemic in our country, it could help dieters and consumers see healthier food items and possibly encourage them to make healthier choices.

Also see the new ONQI food rating system, which ranks food on a 1-100 scale based on nutritional value.

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Major Food Brands Adopt New Smart Choices Logo