TLN Health News Heads Up: Is It Healthy? Food Rating Systems Battle It Out

By ANDREW MARTIN

At the grocery store, shoppers confront a dizzying array of labels promoting whole grains, reduced fat, antioxidants or vitamins. Some foods are said to be “Smart Choices,” while others are a “Sensible Solution.”

Amid the confusion, how can consumers tell whether Cheerios, say, are better or worse than Special K? Is light mayonnaise more nutritious than regular? Which are worse, Nilla Wafers or Chunky Chips Ahoy?

Suddenly, after years of chaotic, conflicting health claims on food, various groups are rushing to create systems that are supposed to make sense of it all. And grocery chains are starting to line up behind one system or another. Within months, shoppers across the country may find numerical ratings, star ratings or letter grades plastered on the shelf next to virtually every product in a store.

“We know that our customers are looking for answers in how to make their diet better,” said Ric Jurgens, president and chief executive of Hy-Vee grocery stores and chairman of a cooperative that has endorsed one system. He says it “provides a revolutionary and simple way to assess all the foods in our stores.”

But consumer advocates worry that the sudden flurry of rating systems could add to shopper confusion, not ameliorate it, at least until one of the systems wins out and becomes a national standard. Moreover, determining what foods are healthier is as much art as science, requiring judgment about how much value to attach to various scientific findings about diet and health.

TLN Editor Comments: There are very good points made in this article regarding food company and grocery chains making self-determining ratings of foods. Obviously, their systems will be commercially influenced to best position their own products. Form your own opinion, by reading more on this article at the New York Times!