FDA Lays Into Nestle, But Will it Make a Difference?

So, the FDA did send out the expected notice that some health claims on packaged foods are misleading and unproven. Great to see the action at the FDA and the caring about labeling, but, what changes can we expect? Various companies, many owned by Nestle, but even Spectrum Organics, were noted for allowing excessive saturated fat content into items that claim "no trans fats" misleading those who think trans fats are the only bad fat. It would be absolutely great if consumers actually knew the difference between trans fats, healthy omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), unhealthy omega-6 fats (LA, AA), the healthy subset of omega-6 fatty acids (DGLA), ands the healthy and unhealthy saturated fats (whole avocados and coconut oil can really be healthy as part of an anti-inflammatory diet), and of course our healthy most proven extra virgin olive oil with monounsaturated fat plus omega-3. I know, this is too much information for most people, but if people truly understood that fats are confusing, fats can behave differently in healthy alkaline bodies than they do in unhealthy acidic bodies; the fat converted from sugar generally is AA, the worst kind and people have proven they do not need to eat fat to become fat. POM juices were told they can not have misleading information on their website which claims pomegranate juice can prevent "hypertension, cancer and diabetes." This is not on the actual labeling, and it has been long believed that the dark red juice does have some preventive and healthy effects. So, is the FDA right to make them remove ancient wisdom from their website? Of course, I would not recommend any juice for someone battling or trying to prevent diabetes.

Also, Juicy Juice (a Nestle company) can not imply it is from a single source. Instead, its flavors must be called a blend. I am not sure the consumers drinking Juicy Juice will buy more or less based on it being a flavored blend...

So, where do we stand? Well, it is refreshing to see the FDA care about these claims and packaging will change shortly. The real test will be whether people buy less of these products once health claims are removed. It will be interesting to see in this age of health claims on every box cover, whether people will avoid a jar that no longer says no trans fats when it is still the same product. The absolute best consumer advice I can give is read the ingredients! Packaged food is not a safe healthy thing in the first place but a list of organic natural ingredients that you can pronounce and that you would ordinarily find in your own kitchen with no chemicals at all and nothing hydrogenated is definitely better than artificial nonsense even when the artificial nonsense is trans fat free, high fiber, low sugar, high in vitamin C processed junk!